Former Jaguars Pro Bowler D.J. Chark Calls Back to Infamous 2020 Season

The 2020 season was, well, not great for the Jacksonville Jaguars as they lived their final season before the days of Trevor Lawrence.

Dec 6, 2020; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver D.J. Chark (17) reacts following a turnover during the third quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images | Brace Hemmelgarn-Imagn Images

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- There have been some bad seasons in the history in the Jacksonville Jaguars. It looks like a new day has begun and a new era is here, but that doesn't erase the past.

Part of that past is the 2020 season, a year in which the Jaguars won the first game of the year and then lost 15 in a row. And now, one of the key figures of that season has delivered some insight into the ups and downs.

Chark on 2020

On the Raw Room podcast, Chark detailed why the disastrous 2020 season felt lost from the start -- and why he thinks the focus of the season quickly shifted to Trevor Lawrence, who was at the final stage of his career at Clemson.

"I think halfway through, we were trying to get Trevor, though. It really didn't matter who we played on Sunday at quarterback," Chark said. "I didn't know that at the time ... I kind of knew it.

Sep 19, 2021; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (17) against the Denver Broncos at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Jaguars, of course, went through quite a bit of quarterback change during the 2020 season. Gardner Minshew started the year, but eventually three different quarterbacks made multiple starts and the Jaguars finished the season 1-15 on the arms of Gardner Minshew, Jake Luton, and Mike Glennon.

"It went Minshew all the way into week nine. Then it's two for Luton, Glennon for two, yeah, Minshew for two, Glennon for two," Chark said about the quarterback rotation.

Nov 15, 2020; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (17) is tackled after catching a pass against the Green Bay Packers during the third quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images | Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

"It's not really about the plays. It was more so, like, by this time in the year, the morale was already down. We are just switching people in. Knowing what's up."

That was certainly one of the big reasons the Jaguars had one of the worst seasons in the entire history of the franchise. It led to the Jaguars landing the No. 1 pick in the first time in franchise history, which then led to the Jaguars selecting Trevor Lawrence and starting a new era.

Dec 29, 2019; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver DJ Chark Jr. (17) looks on prior to the game between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Indianapolis Colts at TIAA Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images | Douglas DeFelice-Imagn Images

But before that new era began, Chark and a host of other Jaguars had to go through the slog that was the 2020 season.

"They would have different people splitting reps," Chark said. "It would start off with Gardner. Gardner got hurt, and they wanted to see Jake, but then they wanted to see Mike, and then they were like, by the end of the year, it was like, well, whoever practices better this week, we will determine, whoever practices better. ... I caught touchdowns from three different QBs in the same year."

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