The Detroit Lions and Jacksonville Jaguars were on similar paths last season.
The last two winless teams in the NFL, the Lions and Jaguars battled for the league’s worst record until the final week of the regular season, and that was reason enough for then-Jaguars receiver DJ Chark to follow his new team, the Lions, closely.
“The games looked different,” Chark recalled Thursday. “I appreciated the hustle and the grit and the way that they persevered and went from tying games to winning games and playing better, and I truly appreciate the way that this staff kept that team together and have faith in those guys, and I know that means a lot to them. So I’m ready to be a part of it. I feel like it’s definitely a different feel than what I’ve been experiencing.”
Chark officially signed a one-year free agent deal with the Lions on Thursday, leaving the Jaguars after four productive but injury-riddled seasons to become a key cog in the Lions’ passing attack.
A big outside receiver with track speed, Chark is expected to fill the X position in a Lions offense that struggled both in the red zone and moving the ball downfield last year.
The Lions prioritized finding help for their passing attack this offseason, and as the receiver market dried up quickly in the week leading up to free agency with franchise tag tenders and contract extensions, general manager Brad Holmes said he saw Chark as more than just a scheme fit.
“I always say, you have players that are on the football team and you have football players, and DJ’s a football player and so that’s why he’s a fit for us and that was most important is the culture fit,” Holmes said. “But he obviously has a lot of talent, has a lot of ability and we forecast for him to be very, very successful and be a very great fit here.”
A second-round pick out of LSU in 2018, Chark played primarily on special teams as a rookie before making the Pro Bowl with a 73-catch, 1,008-yard season in his second year.
Chark missed three games with an assortment of injuries in 2020 and most of last season with a fractured ankle that he said he still is rehabbing from.
“I’m running routes,” he said. “I’m not as explosive as I want to be yet, but to say that it’s only March 17, I think I’m in a really good spot and by the time the lights come on, I’m going to be where I want to be and be who I want to be.”
Chark, 25, opted for a one-year deal with the Lions over “one or two” long-term offers from other teams in hopes of landing an even bigger free agent deal next spring.
The Lions return their top seven pass catchers from a season ago, including Amon-Ra St. Brown, Josh Reynolds, Quintez Cephus and Kalif Raymond at receiver, but plan for Chark to assume a starting role.
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“I view myself as a top player,” Chark said. “But with that being said, like I said, injuries and things like that, you still have to prove yourself. But I feel like this organization is best place to do it. It’s not necessarily about money, it’s about the best fit and this was the best fit.”
Chark said he consulted with both current and ex-Lions before finalizing his deal, including his former Jaguars teammates Marvin Jones and Jamal Agnew, who signed free agent deals with Jacksonville last spring.
They told Chark he’d be a good fit for the city and organization, and Jones even offered up his house for Chark to rent.
“Looks like we did a switch-a-roo,” Chark said. “They spoke very highly of the place and the city and they have a good idea of who I am and they say I’m going to like it. so I’m excited to see what it has in store.”
Holmes said the Lions finalized their deal with Chark around midnight Monday, hours after Jacksonville went on its free agent spending spree.
The Jaguars, trying to take advantage of Trevor Lawrence’s rookie contract, lavished more than $250 million in contracts, including $155 million guaranteed, on seven free agents. They gave receiver Christian Kirk one of the biggest deals in free agency (four years, $72 million) and added two more pass catchers in receiver Zay Jones and tight end Evan Engram.
Chark said he initially felt stung by the Jaguars’ decision to let him walk and pay other receivers, but he quickly came to realize he landed in a better place.
“I want to be around good people,” Chark said. “This is good people. It feels good to be wanted. I’d rather be wanted more than anything at the end of the day. Hats off to Jacksonville. My time there, everybody that I’ve me there and came across, I wish the best for them. But it’s no longer about Jacksonville, it’s about Detroit.”
Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.