With all the possible names floating around for wide receivers that could be traded to the Los Angeles Chargers (Cooper Kupp of the Rams, Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins, and D.K. Metcalf of the Seahawks), D.J. Chark Jr. may have missed his window in LA.
Chark is now among the long list of Chargers free agents.
DJ Chark’s 2024 Campaign With The Los Angeles Chargers
The pass catcher was acquired in the 2024 offseason to fill a gap at wide receiver in the Chargers roster. His training camp highlights were full of deep receptions, and Daniel Popper of The Athletic even noted on Day 3 of camp that Chark, “ is at his best in contested-catch situations down the field.” Chark’s best year was 2019 when he had over 1,000 receiving yards with eight receiving touchdowns. When he’s active though, he’s been a productive piece on most of the offenses he’s been on.
Chark has had quite a few injuries in his career, and what started out as a promising partnership in LA, quickly went sideways when he sustained a hip injury in August and ended up on injured reserve. He then sustained a groin injury, which further interfered with him coming back into action. And by the time he was ready to get into the rotation, he had essentially been replaced.

Multiple weeks into the season, Ladd McConkey emerged as the top targeted wideout, while Quentin Johnston was having some productive play. And where the Chargers needed help, they had players like tight end Will Dissly or wide receivers Joshua Palmer, and Derius Davis.
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Multiple outlets noted in Week 14‘s Monday press conference, when Popper pressed head coach Jim Harbaugh about Chark’s snap count, which had been limited, Harbaugh said ultimately that playing time is a meritocracy. He stated the obvious that Chark hadn’t practiced for many weeks, and that other players like McConkey, Davis, and even Jalen Reagor had earned their opportunities for game time.
And from that week on, though Chark’s snap counts increased, and he eventually got one receiving touchdown in Week 18, his stat sheet remained low because he was never truly slotted back into the offense.
Chargers Free Agents: DJ Chark’s Future
If the Chargers can’t get a Kupp, Metcalf, Hill, or even a Tee Higgins from the Bengals, who they’ve also been linked to, and if they can’t draft someone like a McConkey who can take on a larger target share immediately, the Chargers free agents should another shot, at most for one more year.
If he can stay healthy and get more playing time, he should be a good complement to McConkey and company. But his injury history makes him risky, so if he stays, he’s more of a stopgap until the Chargers get another leading receiver. Sometimes players can go through injury like running back J.K. Dobbins, and if given the opportunity, can come back and have a great season. Hopefully, that’s the case with Chark if he remains on the team.