Source: Chargers agree to deal with WR Chark

LOS ANGELES — The Chargers agreed to terms with wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. on Thursday, a source confirmed to ESPN.

NFL Network was first to report the news.

Chark, who has played six seasons in the NFL, brings experience to an unproven Chargers receiving room. Prior to the agreement, the Chargers had no receiver with more than three years in the NFL or a season with over 800 yards.

Chark, at 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, played for the Carolina Panthers last season, where he had 35 catches for 525 yards and five touchdowns.

Chark’s best season came when he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, when he had 73 receptions for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns, all career highs that earned him his first and only Pro Bowl selection.

The Chargers will hope that Chark can regain that form in Los Angeles after they traded wide receiver Keenan Allen, released wide receiver Mike Williams and let tight end Gerald Everett and running back Austin Ekeler leave in free agency. Those players made up 57% of quarterback Justin Herbert‘s completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns since he entered the NFL in 2020.

Injuries have hindered Chark recently. In the past five seasons, he has played only 54 of a possible 82 games. A second-round pick by the Jaguars in 2018, Chark, 27, has 212 receptions for 3,069 yards and 23 touchdowns in his career.

He will be reunited with tight end Hayden Hurst and center Bradley Bozeman in Los Angeles. Both played with him in Carolina last season.