Former Carolina Panthers wide receiver D.J. Chark is still searching for his next home this week, taking a visit to see the L.A. Chargers ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Chark visited the Chargers on Thursday, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport. The team is likely to draft a wide receiver next week with one of their nine picks, but Jim Harbaugh’s first-year squad could use an experienced wideout like the former Jaguars draft pick.
Chark spent the 2023 season with the Panthers, totaling 35 catches, 525 yards and five touchdowns in 15 regular season games. The team went 2-15, ultimately deciding to part ways with head coach Frank Reich in favor of former Buccaneers coordinator Dave Canales.
The Panthers signed Chark last offseason after the wideout had spent a year with the Detroit Lions. He signed on a one-year deal for $5 million. He landed that contract after a one-year, $10 million deal with Detroit. He was originally drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars out of LSU in 2018. He inked his rookie deal for $4.44 million after they took him in the second round at No. 61 overall.
Injuries have been a big obstacle for Chark in his career, as the wideout has yet to play in a full slate of games in a season. After playing in four games during an injury-plagued 2021, Chark played in 11 contests for the Lions in 2022, starting 10.
He has shown the ability to be a real threat in the passing game when healthy, though. In his second season as a pro in 2019, Chark played a career-high 15 games and hauled in 73 passes for 1008 yards and eight touchdowns. He earned a Pro Bowl nod for his 2019 campaign.
More on the 2024 NFL offseason, free agency
The NFL 2024 calendar year began at 4 p.m. ET on March 13. At that time, contracts running through 2023 officially ran out, making those players free agents. Prior to the beginning of free agency, teams will had a chance to designate one franchise or transition tag player, starting on Feb. 20 at 4 p.m. ET and ending on March 5. Beginning March 11 through March 13 teams could enter into a legal negotiation with players who will become unrestricted free agents.
In addition to NFL free agency, the new year also marks the beginning of all trades being made official by the league office. April 19 marks the deadline to sign restricted free agents to offer sheets. On April 24, the deadline for teams to match restricted free agent offers sheets hits. Following the restricted free agent deadline follows the 2024 NFL Draft, which runs from April 25-27.
Green Bay Packers sign former first-round tackle Andre Dillard
The Green Bay Packers announced a new signing on Thursday with one week to go before the 2024 NFL Draft. Green Bay is adding former first-round pick Andre Dillard to the offensive line room after the left tackle spent the 2023 season with the Tennessee Titans. The team announced that he’ll wear No. 73 this season.
Despite his first-round billing, Andre Dillard’s time in Nashville was met with mixed reviews. According to ESPN’s advanced analytics, the former Eagles draft pick allowed 13 sacks, which put him in the bottom 10 of left tackles in the 2023 season. Though he ranked poorly in pass protection, he did rank 11th out of 65 tackles in run block win rate.
Dillard, a sixth-year player out of Washington State, was originally selected in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Philadelphia Eagles at No. 22 overall. The Philadelphia Eagles declined to pick up Dillard’s fifth-year option, leaving him free to sign with a new team for the 2023 season.
The Titans signed him to a three-year deal for $29 million, then released him after the end of the season. Through his first five seasons in the NFL, Dillard has played in 59 regular-season games with 19 starts. In 2023, he tied his career high with 16 games played and set a career-high with 10 starts.
In college, Dillard played in 42 games with 39 starts and was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection at Washington State.
NFL officially reinstates five players following suspensions for gambling
On Thursday, the NFL officially reinstated five players after they served suspensions for various gambling infractions. The players reinstated are former Lions players wide receiver Quintez Cephus, safety C.J. Moore, and defensive lineman Demetrius Taylor, as well as Commanders wide receiver Shaka Toney and former Colts linebacker Rashod Berry.
The five players reinstated on Thursday were a part of several rounds of suspensions the NFL handed out last year due to gambling violations. Other suspensions included Jameson Williams, Stanley Berryhill and Nicholas Petit-Frere. While some served six-game suspensions, others were suspended indefinitely. Those suspended indefinitely had the opportunity to apply for reinstatement at the conclusion of the 2023 season. Now, the challenge will be getting back onto team rosters before the 2024 season starts.
The NFL gambling rules state that a player can’t bet on league games. The other restrictions preclude players from placing bets while on team property. Also, while traveling for road games, players can’t wager from the hotel or while with the team in other areas.
With the rapid national expansion of online sports betting, gambling rates in the United States have dramatically increased. It’s no surprise the NFL has had to crack down on offenders more often in recent years. It’s a problem not limited to the NFL and its players, either.
NBA hits Jontay Porter with lifetime ban for gambling
The NBA announced a lifetime ban for Toronto Raptors two-way center Jontay Porter on Wednesday following an investigation into gambling allegations. The issue stemmed from prop bets placed on Porter from Jan. 26 to March 20. NBA officials found that Porter “disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, limited his own participation in one or more games for betting purposes and bet on NBA games.” Per the league’s press release, Porter’s actions are still under continued investigation.
According to the league’s initial findings, while traveling with the Raptors or Raptors 905, the NBA G League affiliate, Porter placed at least 13 bets on NBA games using an associate’s online betting account. These bets ranged in size from $15 to $22,000, for a total of $54,094. The total payout from these bets was $76,059, resulting in net winnings of $21,965.
None of the bets involved any game in which Porter played. Three of the bets were multi-game parlay bets that included one Raptors game, in which Porter bet that the Raptors would lose. All three bets lost.
“There is nothing more important than protecting the integrity of NBA competition for our fans, our teams and everyone associated with our sport, which is why Jontay Porter’s blatant violations of our gaming rules are being met with the most severe punishment,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said. “While legal sports betting creates transparency that helps identify suspicious or abnormal activity, this matter also raises important issues about the sufficiency of the regulatory framework currently in place, including the types of bets offered on our games and players.
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