Category: DJ Chark

It’s decision time if Jags plan to use the franchise tag

OT Cam Robinson and WR DJ Chark seem to be the only candidates the Jags would tag and they have until 4 p.m. EST to do so.

In roughly five hours (4 p.m. EST) the franchise tag deadline will be here, which means teams in the NFL have some decisions to make if there are any notable free agents on their roster that they want to keep. In the Jacksonville Jaguars’ case, that means a decision could be coming on retaining offensive tackle Cam Robinson or receiver DJ Chark, both of whom could be important pieces for the offense.

If Robinson was franchised, he’d be receiving the tag for the second consecutive year. The Jags franchised tagged him last year on March 9, which locked him into a $13.7 million figure that was later decided when the NFL announced its salary cap number. Afterward, he was able to take the field for the team for 14 games and had a decent season, while garnering a Pro Football Focus grade of 67.4 and a pass-blocking grade of 76.6.

Robinson would probably prefer a long-term deal, but if he’s tagged he would receive a 20% raise and that would make his salary around $16.5 million for the year. All of that would be guaranteed if an injury occurred, and the figure would give him the highest cap hit on the team.

As for Chark, franchise tagging him would cost the Jags even more as the receivers figure is $18.4. However, it seems his chances are lower to be franchised than Robinson’s when looking at his availability. While Chark does give the offense speed on the outside, he’s struggled to stay healthy and has missed 22-of-65 games (33%). That said, if the Jags want to keep Chark, the transition tag would make more sense, which would pay Chark a salary of $16.7 million.

When looking at both former second-round selections, both have done some notable things for the Jags. Robinson has started in 61 regular season games on the blindside, while Chark is a former Pro Bowler who has accumulated over 2,000 career receiving yards for the Jags and 15 touchdowns.

However, the open market or the draft could give them even better options, and if that’s the case, they may be fine letting both at least test the market. But if the Jags feel like they would be hurting themselves and making their team significantly worse, they may be willing to use the tag before the deadline.

In this week’s episode of “Touchdown Jaguars!” we looked at the top needs for the Jags heading into the NFL Combine. Progressing forward, we will continue to put out weekly episodes, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment.

Franchise tag watch for 2 players on Jags’ offense begins

The franchise tag window is now open and it appears the Jags have two names to at least consider for it.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have a busy offseason ahead of them after finishing with the NFL’s worst record for a second consecutive time. Of course, the key for their roster will be to acquire more talent with their high draft picks and also add help through free agency (and potentially by trading, too).

However, they also could afford to keep some of their pending free agents, especially on the offensive side of the ball where it was clear that rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence needed help. With needs on the offensive line and at receiver in terms of protecting him and giving him targets, tackle Cam Robinson and receiver DJ Chark Jr. are clearly the biggest names from the Jags’ group of pending free agents.

Fans would be hard-pressed to find an NFL analyst that won’t put the offensive line and receiver at the top of the Jags’ list of needs this offseason. And while retaining one or both players would help the Jags tremendously, their roster will still need additions at both respective positions regardless.

Of course, both of these players can be extended with new short or long-term deals. The idea of franchise or transition tagging the pair has been floated around, too, which means it’s now time to watch both players closely with the tag window officially starting today. The window will remain open until March 8, which gives all 32 organizations a two-week window to make their respective decisions.

However, if tagging wither player in some way is the route the Jags do choose to go, don’t expect them to jump on the opportunity quickly as we’ve seen these situations go down to the wire at times. But with the NFL Combine set to take place in a week, we’ll start to gather more information on what the Jags’ plans truly are.

If the Jags were to tag Robinson, it wouldn’t be unfamiliar territory as the team used the franchise tag on him last season. As a result, he received a one-year deal of over $13.7 million that was all guaranteed. Tagging him again would give him a 20% raise from his previous deal, which would put his salary at about $16.5 million for 2022.

It’s on general manager Trent Baalke and Doug Pederson to figure out if Robinson’s play will warrant that type of money. Last season, Robinson played in 14 games and took 857 snaps. He only allowed one sack and eight hits and registered a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 76.6. That alone gives the Jags something to think about, but they also have the luxury to upgrade left tackle through the draft and free agency with an estimated $59.2 million available in cap space.

As for Chark, it’s even more difficult to make a case for the franchise tag as he’s missed 22-of-65 games (33%). He missed a career-high of 13 games last season after suffering a fractured ankle Week 4 after he inadvertently got rolled up from behind. That said, he unfortunately, wasn’t able to give the Jags a season that would warrant a big deal, though he has one Pro Bowl season that took place in 2019.

Due to how his career has been up and down and affected by injuries, it’s clear that Chark has less of a chance of getting the franchise tag than Robinson. That’s especially the case with the receivers franchise tag projected at over $19.1 million, which means the transition tag ($16.7) may be more reasonable.

Time will tell what the Jags do over the next two weeks in terms of retaining these players and others. Keeping at least one certainly wouldn’t hurt a team with a bunch of needs, but at the same time, deciding on what route to go with both after a 3-14 season won’t be easy.

Podcast: Grading Jags’ coaching hires, discussing Boselli HOF selection, and DJ Chark

Jags Wire has a new go-to podcast in the @TDJaguarsPod. We got all the details of how you can listen to episode one, which covered Tony Boselli, the Jags’ coaching staff, and more.

It’s been a busy week for the Jacksonville Jaguars between naming Doug Pederson their new coach on Feb. 3 and several other events that took place afterward. Of course, the work didn’t stop there as Pederson had to put together a staff, but was able to do so in an impressive manner.

Then, off the field, it was announced that the organization will have its first Hall-of-Famer. Of course, that will be Jags former left tackle and current radio analyst Tony Boselli, who finally kicked the door down to become immortal in the football community after six appearances as a finalist.

Of course, between the major news breaking for fans of the current Jags and those who were fans in the past (or both), it’s been an exciting time to talk about the Jaguars, which is refreshing when considering all that transpired prior. And depending on how the next few months go between the draft and free agency, the arrow could start to point up as the team at least have a quarterback and a coach who understands the position as well as most.

That said, Jags Wire podcaster Phil Smith and I had plenty to talk about in the debut of the “Touchdown Jaguars!” podcast.

We started things off by discussing how well-deserved and huge Boselli’s Hall-of-Fame selection is for him and the organization and graded the hires Pederson made to his staff and what certain coaches bring to the table. Lastly, we looked ahead to free agency to discuss what the Jags should do about pending free agent DJ Chark Jr., who could be a huge weapon for Trevor Lawrence if retained.

To listen to the full episode, hit play below:

 

“Touchdown Jaguars!” will have more episodes weekly heading forward, giving Jags Wire readers a new go-to podcast, which will discuss the latest in news, rumors, and more. To stay up to date, subscribe via Apple Podcasts and Spotify, and also feel free to rate and comment. 

Extending D.J. Chark Jr. could be manageable, per Spotrac’s market value projections

An extension for Chark would likely be worth around $11.9 million annually.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have several areas of need this offseason, but there aren’t many bigger priorities than adding weapons in the passing game to aid in the development of second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. As far as the receiver position goes, the team has one massive decision to make regarding D.J. Chark Jr.

The former second-round pick struggled with drops as a rookie in 2018, but he was vastly improved in his second season and has been the team’s most reliable playmaker since. His 2021 season was cut short with a broken ankle in Week 4, though, and now it’s time to decide whether to offer him an extension or let him test free agency.

The Jags could decide to go in a different direction at receiver, but if they decide to extend Chark, it might hurt their pockets too much, at least in the eyes of Spotrac. According to them, a market value deal for Chark would be in the range of $47.6 million over four years, which would pay an average of $11.9 million annually.

That deal would make him just the 22nd highest-paid receiver in the league, which seems like good value for a player with Chark’s upside. Perhaps more importantly, it’s not a price tag that would prohibit the Jags from targeting a top-tier receiver in free agency like Chris Godwin.

The Jags don’t have a lot of big contracts on the books, and with the team currently projected to have the third-most available cap space in the league, they could easily afford to sign Chark. Considering his decent production — 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns on 147 catches in four years — that seems like a deal they’d be happy to make, even if he’s only crossed the 1,000-yard threshold once back in 2019.

Watch: DJ Chark making progress from broken ankle, works out on an anti-gravity treadmill

#Jaguars WR DJ Chark recently showed off the progress he’s making in terms of his return from a broken ankle he sustained Week 4.

The Jacksonville Jaguars had a rough season, and it was partly due to some of their key players getting placed on the injured reserve. Among them was DJ Chark Jr., who sustained a broken ankle Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals and missed the remainder of the season as a result.

However, just last week interim coach Darrell Bevell said that both running back Travis Etienne and Chark weren’t fully running yet, but neither was no longer getting around on a scooter. But it appears Chark has continued to make progress since that moment and provided fans with a preview of how he’s coming along on social media as he shared footage of him running on an anti-gravity treadmill.

Chark will be an important player to watch heading forward as he is a pending free agent, but one the Jags would be wise to keep. The Jags lacked speed this season on offense, and it affected things for Trevor Lawrence, so many expect the Jags to heavily attack the receiver position in the offseason.

It’s hard to say what would be the best route to go with Chark in terms of retaining him because he’s coming off a big injury. However, with a projected   salary cap figure of $61.4 million set to be available, they have the room to take a gamble over some others (or franchise tag him) if they would like.

Urban Meyer confirms that Jags WR DJ Chark will miss the remainder of the season

Coach Urban Meyer revealed that DJ Chark’s 2021 season is over Monday due to the ankle injury he sustained Week 4.

If the Jacksonville Jaguars turn their season around after coming off their bye week, they will have to do so without one of their best players in DJ Chark. According to coach Urban Meyer, the fourth-year receiver’s 2021 season is done as he won’t be able to return from the left ankle fracture he sustained Week 4 against the Cincinnati Bengals.

This news comes after the Jags placed Chark on injured reserve on Oct. 4, which was four days after the injury occurred. Chark sustained the injury early in Week 4’s game when offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor inadvertently fell on the receiver’s ankle as he was stalk blocking. The injury resulted in Chark having to be carted off after being looked at by the trainers.

Chark was on a contract year for the Jags and they had high hopes of him leading their receivers group due to his deep speed ability. However, his future with the team is now uncertain and the Jags’ journey for a No. 1 receiver will continue. Ultimately, the decision on his future in Jacksonville will fall on Meyer and general manager Trent Baalke as the injury complicates what exactly would be the right route to go with the former second-round pick.

Chark was able to garner seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns this season. In terms of his career total, he accumulated 147 catches for 2,042 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns and was the last receiver to go to the Pro Bowl for the Jags (2019).

Report: DJ Chark ankle injury ‘most likely’ to require surgery, expected to miss season

Ian Rapoport reported that DJ Chark’s devastating ankle injury is ‘most likely’ to require surgery and the fourth-year player is expected to miss the season.

Not only did the Jacksonville Jaguars lose heartbreakingly to the Cincinnati Bengals on Thursday Night Football, but they also lost one of their starters early to injury in the process. In the first series of the game, DJ Chark suffered an ankle fracture, and according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, surgery would be the “most likely option” and the expectation is that he would miss the season, too.

Chark’s injury came on a James Robinson run where the running back ran to the right side. He ran into right tackle Jawaan Taylor who then rolled up Chark’s ankle (as he was stalk blocking) on the way to the ground.

For a Jags team already looking for their first win, this one is a tough blow as they had high hopes for Chark to be their leading receiver. It’s also a tough situation for Chark who was on a contract year and had previously been trying to find his groove after having finger surgery in the preseason.

In the first three games, Chark managed to accumulate seven catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns. A majority of those figures came Week 1 against the Houston Texans where he was able to garner three catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

While the news on Chark is devastating, the good thing is that the Jags fared better than expected in Thursday Night Football while he was absent. Receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. stepped up in a big way and finished the game with six catches for 99 yards. Robinson also saw a higher volume in carries, garnering 18 for 78 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

As Jags Nation sends positive vibes and prayers up for Chark, the team will likely have to push forward and find their way without him, at least for 2021. As we witnessed Thursday, that means Shenault and Marvin Jones Jr. will have to lead the receivers unit. The team also has Tyron Johnson who is not as experienced, but does offer a similar skill set, as well as return specialist Jamal Agnew and utility player Tavon Austin.

4 keys to a Jaguars victory vs. the Texans

With the Jags set to start their 2021 regular season journey at 1 p.m. EST today, here are some keys to a Jags win against the Texans.

Football is finally back!

Week 1 of the NFL regular season continues today, and the Jacksonville Jaguars will open their 2021 campaign against the Houston Texans. The Jaguars were 0-2 against the Texans last year and are looking to start righting the wrongs of the previous regime as soon as possible.

Things certainly look brighter than they did around this time last season. New head coach Urban Meyer has done plenty to shake up the organization. He started his NFL career off making a few big-money free-agent additions and five picks in the top-65. The most notable of the draft selections, of course, was Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence. But with those moves all  in the rear-view, the Jags need to win this opening matchup against a less talented Texans team to change thoughts from the outside.

Here are four keys to a much-needed Jaguars victory.

DJ Chark says the Jags’ are ready to shock the NFL

Jags WR DJ Chark spoke highly of his teammates Friday on NFL Network and believes the Jags’ changes this offseason have been huge.

The taste of going 1-15 last season didn’t sit well with anyone on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 2020 roster, including their star receiver DJ Chark. However, 2021 provides a new opportunity for the fourth-year receiver and his team to better themselves and Chark is eager to do so with a new staff and new teammates who’ve provided him with a revamped scene.

When asked what are the expectations from the team’s perspective by NFL Network, Chark stated that there weren’t specific goals in mind for the team but felt that their willingness to compete would make them a significantly better group. He added that their competitive mindset would speak for itself on the field and also put the Jags in position to shock people.

“Just to go out there and compete, be better than what we were last year,” Chark said . “The 1-15 season is somewhere that we don’t want to go back. Everyone that’s here understands that. The guys that came in came from a lot of winning programs so we’re trying to develop that winning culture and just that comradery here and I think we’re going to do really good. I think we’re gonna shock a lot of people. I’m not one of the people that’s huge on setting record goals or anything like that, or saying how many wins or losses we’re gonna have but we’re gonna be an exciting football team, for sure.”

Jags coach Urban Meyer has frequently said he doesn’t view the Jags as a team that is rebuilding, which means he’s expecting immediate success in his first year. However, for that to happen, Chark will need to return to Pro Bowl form, while the passing game, in general, will need to play to its potential, too.

In the interview, Chark seemed highly confident that both he and the passing game could be the group to get the Jags on track, praising his notable teammates like Laviska Shenault Jr., Marvin Jones Jr., and first overall pick Trevor Lawrence.

“We take a lot of responsibility and accountability when it comes to the passing game,” he said. “Marvin coming in, [he’s] a dynamic player. Laviska being young and so dynamic, me still trying to reach new heights. I think we have a lot to prove but I think it’s gonna come together real smooth. And definitely being able to have Trevor back there, it’s crazy how that he’s so young and so talented. So, the sky is the limit, really, with us right now. We don’t know how great we can be but we know we can be great, for sure.”

If the aforementioned names can have success through the air, the Jags’ season will undoubtedly be more successful than 2020’s run. That should also lead to Chark emerging again and becoming the star many fans believe he can be.

Spotrac estimates DJ Chark to potentially get a $13M/year extension

Chark is currently playing on the last year of his deal and could gamble on himself in 2021 for more money down the road.

For fourth-year receiver DJ Chark Jr., 2021 will be an important year as he attempts to return to his Pro Bowl form from 2019. If that happens, or he proves to be the Jags’ top receiver, an extension should follow that would make him a Jag for years to come.

After a down 2020 season where he only accumulated 706 yards and five touchdowns, Chark and the Jags both seem fine with him going into 2021 without an extension. However, whenever the decision is made, Spotrac has done their homework on projecting his potential payday, predicting Chark to earn an extension worth $13 million annually through a four-year extension worth $52,360,895.

In Spotrac’s breakdown, contractual and statistical comparisons were used to project his potential extension, and Chark’s figures fell in line with those of Robby Anderson, Curtis Samuel, Corey Davis, and Nelson Agholor. It’s worth noting that all of the deals from the aforementioned names were three-year deals or less, which means Chark’s guaranteed figure under Spotrac’s deal would possibly range from the $26 million range to under $35 million if it guaranteed 50% or more.

With the Jags’ currently leading the NFL in salary cap ($41,314,074), the projected deal from Spotrac is one the Jags could handle now. However, there haven’t been any indications that either party is looking to get a deal done at the moment. Of course, that puts Chark in a position where he can gamble on himself, and with a season similar to 2019’s, he could make more money down the road.