The Chicago Bears are apparently interested in possibly adding another notable name to their offense for the 2025 season. The team recently met with current free agent and former Pro Bowl wide receiver DJ Chark, according to NFL Media.
The report is somewhat of a surprise given Chark’s recent admission that he has contemplated retirement this offseason. Those thoughts have been motivated by Chark’s resistance to uproot his family once again. He played for four teams over the past five seasons after spending each of his first four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
“It will have to be something that makes sense, from a family perspective and also from an Xs and Os perspective,” Chark recently told SportsCasting’s Kyle Odegard. “Getting up and going to any team just for the excitement — I’ll always love the game, but at this point, putting myself and my family in a great position is what’s ideal for me.”
A Louisiana native, Chark said that the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans or New Orleans Saints would be ideal teams for him from a geographical standpoint. And while they Bears are not geographically close, Chark is obviously interested in playing for Chicago and their new coach, Ben Johnson. The Bears have had a busy offseason that has includes the acquisitions of seven players who are expected to start this season.
The 61st overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Chark was named to the Pro Bowl after eclipsing 1,000 yards in 2019 as a member of the Jaguars but never reached that level of success again during his NFL career.
Chark had a solid 2020 campaign, but several injuries limited him to just four games in 2021. He signed with the Detroit Lions in 2022, and despite putting up decent numbers (30 catches, 502 yards, 3 TDs), he continued to deal with injuries and was not re-signed during the following offseason. Chark then signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers, were he also was not re-signed after one year despite catching five touchdowns and averaging 15 yards per catch.
Injuries continued to plague Chark during his most recent NFL stop, which was last season as a member of the Los Angeles Chargers. Hampered by an injured hip, Chark didn’t make his season debut until Nov. 2. While the season was largely a bust, Chark did catch a touchdown pass during the team’s Week 18 win over the Las Vegas Raiders.
While he is no longer a No. 1 option, the 6-foot-3, 200-pound Chark can still provide value to an NFL as a red zone threat while providing quality depth as long as he is healthy. If he were to sign with Chicago, Chark would join a group of receivers that also includes DJ Moore, 2024 first-round pick Rome Odunze, rookie Luther Burden III, and free agent acquisitions Olamide Zaccheaus and Devin Duvernay.
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