Veteran free agent wide receiver D.J. Chark is five years removed from his breakout 1,000-yard Pro Bowl season with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019. He's failed to maintain that level of play, facing a litany of physical issues since. Last seen in a Los Angeles Chargers uniform, retirement may be up next up next for him, though a few teams intrigue him.
Chark reportedly views the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and New Orleans Saints as "ideal" suitors "from a geographical standpoint," acccording to CBS Sports' Bryan DeArdo. We know what you're thinking: two of them are viable contenders, and one is not like the other. But as a Louisiana native and LSU alumnus, a homecoming in The Big Easy holds value.
For Chark to not hang up his cleats, the situation must "[make] sense, from a family perspective and also from an Xs and Os perspective." Fortunately for him, the Saints check both of those boxes.
D.J. Chark includes Saints in list of 'ideal' landing spots
New Orleans' receiver room couldn't stay healthy last season. Chris Olave has suffered five known concussions since 2020, including two in 2024, the second of which shut him down for the remainder of the year. Explosive playmaker Rashid Shaheed went down with a torn meniscus that required a four-to-six month recovery. Even veteran journeyman Marquez Valdes-Scantling (who's now with the Seattle Seahawks), who they picked up off of the street to replace them, got banged up.
Shaheed has missed multiple games due to injury in all three years of his career, suggesting it's more of a trend than a fad. Another hard hit to the head could threaten Olave's career. Not to mention, aging tight end/quarterback/Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill turns 35 in August and is coming off of a torn ACL. In other words, while Chark is far from the dynamic contributor he once was, some depth wouldn't be the worst idea.
Moreover, franchise icon Alvin Kamara's entering the dreaded age-30 running back campaign but has been a focal point of the Saints' passing attack. Can they continue relying heavily on him on the back nine of his career? He broke down by the end of last year, seeing dips in efficiency and overall production, so that probably gives us our answer.
With a (not-so-young) rookie quarterback set to start, having options is beneficial. Otherwise, if pass-catchers start dropping like flies again, Tyler Shough could be throwing to the Valdes-Scantling's of the world, or worse. It's better to be ahead of the curve than improvising on the fly if you can can help it, as the Saints have experienced firsthand.