D.J. Chark doesn’t get back to Alexandria, Louisiana as often as he used to, but once a year the Pro Bowl receiver makes sure to hold a camp in his hometown.
In late June, the D.J. Chark Youth Football Camp not only provided an athletic outlet for the neighborhood kids, but kickstarted a conversation about the importance of mental health.
“Everybody was able to come out and have a good time,” Chark said in an exclusive interview with SportsCasting. “We went through all the drills. I was able to make sure I signed everybody’s shirt. I was able to play football with them as well. That was cool. That was my favorite part. But I also got to talk to them about mental health and provide them and their families with a bunch of different resources.
“A lot of times, people growing up in a small city don’t have any public figures. Being able to be that person, to come back and show the youth that this is real – and not only is it real, but these people care about you – that would have had a huge effect on a lot of people I grew up with, to be able to see that and know it’s attainable.”
“It’s amazing to know I’ve had that kind of impact”
DJ Chark on giving up to his hometown of Alexandria at his first annual football camp ⤵️ @ash_trojanFB @DJChark82 pic.twitter.com/j5avZNSTgQ
— KALB Sports (@KALBSports) June 29, 2024
Inexorably, Chark is a guy who made it – from Alexandria Senior High School, to LSU, to a second-round pick of the Jacksonville Jaguars and a Pro Bowl in Year 2.
But injuries have stunted his career, and Chark, who is currently a free agent, is staring at the specter of a fifth team in five years if he signs somewhere as training camps approach next week.
Does the 28-year-old big-play threat want to keep playing?
“It depends,” Chark said. “It will have to be something that makes sense, from a family perspective and also from an Xs and Os perspective. 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.”
Chark recently bought a house in Fort Worth, Texas, where he plans to build a life with his wife, Chantelle, and his kids, ages 2 and 4.
“If I’d been playing in Florida or Detroit for the last few years, then moving would be different, because it’s not something I’ve been doing every year if that was the case,” Chark said. “But every year you go to a new team, you don’t just pop up there. You have to go through the process of packing, relocating, all the things that come with it. You’re starting over new, finding a new place, all the bills, transferring things. It’s quite a bit actually. One time, two times, yeah, but it becomes a thing.
“If I was a bachelor it would be different. If I was a bachelor – just me and my backpack – I’d go anywhere and play some football. But it’s a little bit more complex than that at this point.”
Happy birthday to my dawg! My boy 2 now. A true Michigan football baby love you more than you’ll ever know! Zman and daddy locked in 4L pic.twitter.com/8a9O2QOZek
— DJ Chark (@DJChark82) October 14, 2024
If Chark plays in 2025, he would love for it to be for a team like the Cowboys, Texans or Saints, those located near his extended family.
“It would definitely be more attractive in the sense of not having to move my family really far,” Chark said. “There are a lot of people that can go and leave their family for the six months. Go play on a team, come back. I’m aware enough to know that’s not me. I couldn’t do it. It would definitely be more beneficial to be closer, to be around family so we have help. With the kids being 4 and 2, it takes a village. We’ve been pretty much isolated and doing it on our own. Being back home and having family help has been tremendous for us.”
Chark is honest about his place in the NFL. He was one of the more potent big-play threats in the NFL in 2019 and 2020 for the Jaguars, and signed a one-year, $10 million contract with the Lions when he hit free agency in 2022.
But injuries have dogged him, and last season with the Chargers, Chark had just four catches for 31 yards and a touchdown while missing 10 games with a hip injury.
General managers are still intrigued by Chark’s talent, but lucrative offers aren’t on the table this offseason.
“I’ve had conversations with a few teams, but being 28 and having injuries, it definitely becomes a financial thing,” Chark said. “If I’m a GM offering this person this contract – they probably wouldn’t want to give that if they won’t receive on their investment. So I think the injuries play a part (in being unsigned), and then the other part is, I’ve had the opportunity to go work out with certain teams, but it didn’t align with my views and where I’m at now.”
Enjoying the journey and appreciating the blessings! Here’s to Another year of growth and prospering! Just Elevate #noelevators #IYKYK pic.twitter.com/u5EcOdAc7k
— DJ Chark (@DJChark82) September 23, 2024
Chark is nearing a crossroads in his life, and having strong mental health isn’t just something he just wanted to pass along to his campers, but also refine in himself.
“Mental health is the basic building block of everything that we do,” Chark said. “The better you feel, the better you can do something, achieve something. We sometimes forget that. A lot of people don’t bring it up, so it makes it easier for you to get wrapped up in whatever you’re doing, your current circumstance. You try to fix it in so many different ways, like physically if you’re an athlete with rehab. If it’s financial, by planning better. But you never really attack the source, which is mental health. So that’s very big for me.”
If he is done playing football, Chark knows it will be an emotional time, but one he’s prepared to handle.
“There will still be a grieving period after playing ball for so long,” Chark said. “I can’t see myself walking away and not having those days like, ‘Man, I want to put a helmet on.’ But I’m aware of that, and I know I’ll have those days when that time comes. I’ll allow myself to have that grieving period, but also not force myself to hang onto something that wouldn’t necessarily serve me.”
Chark isn’t closing the door completely on playing in the NFL again. If the right offer from the right team comes along, he will consider it.
“I do work out still,” Chark said. “I try to make sure I don’t have that dad bod.”
But he’s also someone who sounds at peace with moving on to life’s next phase.
“I don’t really think too far ahead anymore,” Chark said. “That sounds cliché, but every time I’ve thought too far ahead, life throws a curveball at me. When I came into the league, I said I wanted to play until 30. I’d be good not playing past 30. And I had a certain amount of money I said I wanted to achieve. I’ve achieved the monetary value, and the year, I’m pretty much (there). I’m about to be 29. So as far as the goals I set coming into the league, I’ll be there.
“In Year 3, Year 4 of the league, those goals do start to change. You start moving the goalposts like, ‘Oh, I said I wanted this much money, but now I want this much money. I said I wanted to play this many years, and now I want to play this many years.’ I don’t really judge it anymore. Wherever it goes, however it goes, I’m cool with it. As far as a career, I’m excited and thankful for what I’ve been able to accomplish.”
