Former Lions WR DJ Chark Signs With Chargers

Former Lions wideout finds new home.

Jan 1, 2023; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Former Detroit Lions wide receiver DJ Chark (4) runs with the ball during the 2022 season. / David Reginek-USA TODAY Sports

Another former member of the Detroit Lions roster has found a new home.

Wide receiver DJ Chark, who played for the Lions in 2022, has signed a one-year deal to join the Los Angeles Chargers. Chark spent the 2023 season playing for the Carolina Panthers.

He joins a new-look Chargers organization under first-year head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has overhauled the Chargers' receiving corps.

Longtime franchise standout Keenan Allen was traded to the Chicago Bears, while Mike Williams was released and later signed with the New York Jets. Chark will team up with Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert.

Last season with the Panthers, Chark logged 35 receptions for 525 yards and five scores. He was brought to Carolina to be a top wideout for rookie quarterback Bryce Young, but Young struggled throughout the campaign.

Prior to going to Carolina, Chark spent a year with the Lions. He was limited to 11 games by injuries and finished the year with 30 catches for 502 yards and three scores. After missing a chunk of the middle of the season, he returned late in the year and made a big impact.

Perhaps Chark's biggest moment of the 2022 campaign was the game-clinching fourth-down conversion to help the team defeat the Green Bay Packers in a primetime matchup in Week 17. That win helped generate momentum for the Lions in 2023, when they clinched their first division championship in 30 years.

In his career, Chark has logged 212 receptions for 3,069 yards and 23 scores over six NFL seasons. His best year came in 2019 with the Jacksonville Jaguars, when he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards and earned Pro Bowl honors.