It was a matter of formality, but wide receiver DJ Chark’s contract with the Detroit Lions has voided.
The Detroit Lions signed wide receiver DJ Chark to a one-year, $10 million deal last offseason. But two void years were tacked on to spread out the salary cap hit for his signing bonus. Upon the deal voiding, Chark would carry a dead money hit close to $6 million for the Lions in 2023.
On Friday, according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports, Chark was one of six players around the NFL who had their contracts void. Dolphins offensive tackle Eric Fisher, Colts defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, 49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward, Steelers cornerback Cameron Sutton and Rams cornerback Troy Hill were the others
Chark will now be an unrestricted free agent when the new league year starts on March 15.
Chark has said he wants to re-sign with the Lions. His 2022 campaign was had early underachievement, and timed missed with an ankle issue, followed by a stretch that showed he can be what he was envisioned to be when he was signed. How the Lions feel about re-signing him is unknown.
DJ Chark may easily leave the Lions as a free agent
The free agent class of wide receivers is not flush with high-end talent this year. As evidence of that, Chark is somewhere in the top handful of the currently available options on the market.
Chark may quickly get too expensive for the Lions to retain, especially when they have a potential in-house replacement in Jameson Williams. Simply put, they can possibly fill what may amount to a spot on the depth chart more economically in free agency or the draft.
Barring a quick agreement on a newly-constructed deal, Chark’s contract with the Lions was inevitably going to void when it came time. Friday was the day, and now the spotlight falls on the question of he’ll be back next season.