Yet another experienced receiver will be available to teams in free agency. The Jaguars are cutting ties with Christian Kirk, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports. One season remained on Kirk’s contract.
Although Kirk suffered a broken collarbone midway through last season, he had served as Trevor Lawrence‘s top target for most his Jags tenure. As the team transitions to new HC Liam Coen, it will save $10.44MM by releasing Kirk.
While many of the experienced wideouts in this year’s free agent class are over 30, Kirk is 28. The former Cardinals second-rounder is heading into his age-29 season and should draw interest as a bounce-back candidate. Excelling in the slot in Jacksonville, Kirk posted an 1,108-yard season in 2022, helping the Jags to the playoffs and silencing some skeptics that expressed shock at the four-year, $72MM deal he inked that year.
Kirk’s $18MM-per-year deal helped ignite a surge on the receiver market. The Jags pact preceded Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams blowing the top off the previous market, and young wideouts like A.J. Brown, Terry McLaurin, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf came in with deals between that tier and where Kirk landed. The bevy of WRs who have signed monster deals over the past three years may owe some gratitude to Kirk, who positioned himself for the payday by hitting the market at 25 on the heels of a near-1,000-yard Arizona season.
Injuries, however, will factor into Kirk’s second free agent market. Core muscle surgery sidelined him to close the Jaguars’ 2023 season. The five games Kirk missed that year played a major role in the franchise’s trajectory. The Jags were 8-3 but slunk to 9-8. After they went 4-13 last season, ownership fired Doug Pederson and eventually Trent Baalke. Coen is now the lead power broker in Jacksonville, with GM James Gladstone riding shotgun. That duo will build around a receiving corps headlined by Brian Thomas Jr., as the team has now moved on from Kirk and Calvin Ridley in a two-year span.
For a period, the Jags had three free agent wideouts (Kirk, Ridley and Zay Jones) and a tight end (Evan Engram) attached to an eight-figure AAV. The team has stripped its pass-catching corps of most of those contracts, as Lawrence is now attached to a $55MM-per-year salary. Kirk’s departure, however, will create a need opposite Thomas in Jacksonville. Fortunately for the team, there are many options. Davante Adams, Chris Godwin, Stefon Diggs, Amari Cooper, Keenan Allen, DeAndre Hopkins and Tyler Lockett headline the list. Marquise Brown, Josh Palmer, Darius Slayton and, should any team be up to the challenge of managing him after last year, Diontae Johnson are also among the available targets.
Washington makes sense. Reunite with Kingsbury and add a vertical slot option to complement McLaurin and Deebo.
Think Washington sticks with Dynami Brown in the vertical deep threat slot role. I see Washington pursuing Metcalf or Higgins via trade as their physical possession receiver to attack 50/50 balls to complement Terry and Deebo
Brown doesn’t line up out of the slot that much of the time, plus he’s a free agent.
Also doubt they go for a receiver who requires them to trade much more draft capital than they already have.
Top landing spots: chargers jets raiders broncos
Long shots/interesting takers: ravens eagles bills Vikings
Pittsburgh will definitely be in on Kirk as they had a deal in place before his injury.
I just want to know if Kirk is going to be piloting a Starfleet vessel when is football career comes to an end.