Jaguars should make reasonable offer to WR DJ Chark in free agency

Re-signing wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. may be one of the toughest decisions the Jacksonville Jaguars may face this offseason. However, they may not need to break the bank in order to bring him back.

Matt Lombardo if FanSided met with several NFL agents at the Scouting Combine and shared some of the things he was told in his most recent column. Regarding Chark, Lombardon says he is the kind of player that could get a top-market contract based on potential rather than past production but may not be in high demand in this year’s free agency.

"Even though he’s two years removed from surpassing 1,000 yards and catching eight touchdowns, some don’t believe he’ll belong near the top of this year’s receiver market. “You’re really telling me this is a $12 million per year player?” an agent wondered to FanSided. “His productivity hasn’t consistently been there, if he’s a guy you pay more than $10 million for, there are going to be a lot of receivers going back to their teams looking for more money.”"

A second-round selection by the Jags in 2018, Chark has appeared in 43 games with 30 starts over the last four seasons. In that span, he’s hauled in 147 yards for 2,042 yards with 15 touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2019 after catching 73 passes for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns. Last year, he was averaging 22.0 yards per reception before suffering an ankle fracture against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.

The Jaguars could give DJ Chark a one-year, prove-it deal in 2022.

Bringing back DJ Chark could be tricky because he’s coming off a season-ending injury. The former LSU Tiger has never had talent but you could make a strong case that the Jaguars’ inconsistency at quarterback has held him back and could flourish with more consistency behind center. On the other hand, he’s only had a 1,000-yard season over his four-year career and applying the franchise tag, which is set to cost $19.1 million this year, per Spotrac. That’s simply too much for a player that has previously shown flashes but hasn’t been able to turn into a bonafide wide receiver.

So what should the Jaguars then do? The tag should be off the table but there are a couple ways the front office might secure the services of Chark. The first one is a one-year, prove-it deal that could give the wide receiver a chance to rehabilitate his stock and hit the open market once again in 2023.

Another alternative is to let Chark test the market and check for himself what kind of demand there will be for his services. Let him see what’s out there and if someone wants to pay him more than what they’re willing to, they could then let him walk. The one thing the Jaguars should not do is overpay Chark. There will be other options in free agency and while it would be great to have him back, they need to compensate him based on what he’s done, not what he could potentially do on the football field.

Chark has been hindered by less than ideal circumstances throughout his career and could have a breakout season in 2022 but it’s not a given that he will. The Jaguars need to decide how much they want to spend to keep him around.