D.J. Chark spent the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Jacksonville Jaguars before he joined the Detroit Lions as a free agent earlier this year.
On Sunday, Chark will face his former team for the first time and the wide receiver says he doesn’t harbor any ill will toward the franchise that spent big money to replace him with Christian Kirk and Zay Jones.
“I needed a change in scenery,” Chark said, via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “It’d be good to see those guys and be able to compete against them. I’m proud of how that team is much better than what (they were) the past few years. Similar situation to here as far as competing and being in games, so I think it’ll be a good game. It’ll be fun.”
Chark, 26, was a second-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft and earned Pro Bowl honors in 2019. However, his production tailed off in 2020 and Chark missed most of the next year due to a broken ankle. In four seasons with the Jaguars, Chark had 2,042 receiving yards and 15 touchdown grabs.
His ankle injury has caused problems in Detroit too, and Chark has played in only five games so far and caught just nine passes. On Thanksgiving, Chark made his return to the Lions’ starting lineup for the first time since September and caught his second touchdown pass of the year.
Chark is set to become a free agent again in 2023 after signing a one-year, $10 million deal with the Lions.