DJ Chark readies for return to Jacksonville just as he heats up for Carolina Panthers
DJ Chark has a lot of fond memories from his days with the Jacksonville Jaguars, the organization that drafted him in 2018. He remembers most how much he’s matured. “While I was there, we didn’t have a lot of success, but personally I felt a lot of growth from being a rookie,” said Chark, the Carolina Panthers’ deep threat receiver. “There are people I’ve met, the bonds that I’ve made, the things I was able to accomplish along the way. I’ll always hold that dear to me, as well as just my family. I had my daughter there at our home in Jacksonville. So I’ll always hold that dear to me as well.” The Panthers’ 1 p.m. kickoff Sunday will mark the first time Chark has returned to EverBank Stadium since departing the Jaguars after the 2021 season. And his return, coincidentally enough, aligns perfectly with the peak of his tenure in Carolina to date. Chark made six receptions for
Chark made six receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns against the Green Bay Packers on Christmas Eve. He was the guy the offense, largely, was flowing through toward the end of the game. The former LSU star even made the toe-tapping catch on the Panthers’ final drive that gave his team a chance to force overtime against the Packers — the same type of catch he made a week earlier, which directly led to the Panthers’ game-winning kick against the Falcons. Sunday won’t mark the first game Chark has played against his old team. He played the Jags when he was
on the Lions last season, but that game was in Detroit. It, in fact, will mark a reunion of sorts for a bunch of guys in the Panthers’ locker room. That includes cornerback CJ Henderson and WR/RB Laviska Shenault and DE Nick Thurman, who all played in Jacksonville at different times earlier in their careers. Chark said that his return doesn’t add a profound stake to Sunday’s contest. (Although in Chark’s matchup with Detroit on the ro
