The Houston Texans restructured the contract of new wide receiver Christian Kirk on Friday to lower his salary-cap figure for the 2025 season, league sources told KPRC's Aaron Wilson. Kirk was originally due a $15.5 million base salary that was converted into a $14 million signing bonus while lowering his base salary to the league minimum of $1.17 million. The move creates around $12 million in salary-cap savings for the Texans. Houston had already restructured the contracts for receiver Nico Collins and linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair, and they are expected to do more restructures to Denico Autry's and Danielle Hunter's contracts. The 28-year-old Kirk ended last year on Injured Reserve due to a broken collarbone but was acquired in a trade with the Jaguars to provide the Texans with a No. 2 wideout behind Nico Collins. With Tank Dell (knee) potentially missing all of 2025, Kirk has a clear path to WR3 value in fantasy in his new home if he's healthy.
The Houston Texans are acquiring wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday in exchange for a seventh-round draft pick in 2026, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. The Texans will take on Kirk's existing contract, which is scheduled to pay him $16.5 million in 2025 in the final year of the deal. Many folks were wondering what Houston was going to do this offseason given the fact that Tank Dell (knee) might miss all of 2025 and Stefon Diggs (knee) hitting free agency. The 28-year-old Kirk isn't without injury issues of his own, though, after suffering a season-ending broken left collarbone in October of last year. He should be fully healthy for Week 1 this fall, though, and will operate out of the slot as the No. 2 behind Nico Collins. If he can stay healthy, Kirk will be an intriguing bounce-back candidate for fantasy managers now that he'll be working with quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Jacksonville Jaguars are releasing wide receiver Christian Kirk, according to NFL insider Ari Meirov. The team will clear $10.4 million by moving on from the 28-year-old. Kirk played four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals before signing a four-year, $72 million contract with Jacksonville ahead of the 2022 season. The former Texas A&M Aggie flashed in 2022, compiling 84 receptions for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. However, he has played fewer than 13 games in each of the last two seasons and has fallen under 800 receiving yards in 2023 and 2024. With superstar wideout Brian Thomas Jr. on the roster, Kirk became expendable as the team looks to retool under new head coach Liam Coen. Kirk should draw interest on the open free-agent market.
ESPN's Dan Graziano puts the odds at 75 percent that the Jacksonville Jaguars cut wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) this offseason. Kirk has one year left on his current deal and is scheduled to make $16.5 million in 2025. However, he's coming off a season-ending broken collarbone and has seen his production decline the last two years due to injuries, and the Jaguars have a new head coach and offensive system and will have a new general manager soon. They also signed Gabe Davis last offseason, and Brian Thomas Jr. took over in 2024 as a legitimate No. 1 wideout. Cutting Kirk would save $10.4 million in 2025 salary cap space. Other potential cap cuts to free up money are receiver Josh Reynolds ($4 million) and tight end Evan Engram ($6 million). It's highly unlikely Jacksonville cuts both Kirk and Engram this offseason.
According to Adam Schefter, before Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk's (collarbone) injury, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a deal in the works to acquire him. Per Schefter, league sources told ESPN there was a "reasonable chance" that Kirk would be heading to the Steel City. However, that plan was derailed when the 27-year-old suffered a broken clavicle that effectively ended his season. The NFL Insider noted that Pittsburgh is still looking to upgrade their wide receiver corps before the Nov. 5 trade deadline and that they've been "making calls and checking on any and all available wide receivers." With the last call for trades quickly approaching, we'll know if they're successful or not over the next 36 hours. Stay tuned.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) was placed on the Injured Reserve list on Saturday. The wideout was already in line to miss the remainder of the 2024-25 campaign, so the latest move is just a formality. Kirk will officially finish the year by catching 27 passes for 379 yards and one touchdown. But after totaling eight touchdowns in 2022-23, his production has significantly declined over the last few seasons. With the injury and decrease in statistical output, his fantasy value will likely take a substantial hit entering 2025-26, no matter what uniform he is wearing. At any rate, to fill the void, the Jaguars elevated Austin Trammell and Elijah Cooks from the practice squad, although Brian Thomas Jr. (chest), who is questionable for Week 9 against the Eagles, should continue to lead the way offensively, barring further injury.
According to head coach Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) underwent surgery this morning on his broken collarbone. He'll miss the remainder of the season, as Kainani Stevens of the team reported. While Jacksonville's 2024 is in turmoil -- sitting at 2-6 -- it's still a considerable blow to the team, who could have potentially traded Kirk to a contender before the Nov. 5 trade deadline. He'll now begin the road to recovery. It's the second consecutive season that an injury has cut the 27-year-old's campaign short after missing the final five games of 2023 with a core muscle injury. The Texas A&M alum has potentially played his last snap for the Jaguars, with one year left on his four-year deal after being the subject of trade rumors recently. With rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. (chest) dinged up as well, wide receivers Gabe Davis (shoulder), Parker Washington, and Tim Jones figure to see an increase in usage.
Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (collarbone) will miss the remainder of the 2024 season after suffering a broken collarbone in Sunday's 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers. He finished his night recording 59 yards on 2-of-5 receiving. The seventh-year wideout exited the game early in the fourth quarter after landing hard on his left shoulder while going after a deep shot from Trevor Lawrence and immediately went to the locker room -- a foreboding sign. What was initially considered a shoulder injury will effectively end his season. It's a big blow to Jacksonville, as their offense appeared to be finding its footing over the last few weeks. Additionally, Kirk had his name thrown around in trade circles ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. In his stead, WRs Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis figure to earn more targets, while Parker Washington and Tim Jones will fill in for three-wide-receiver sets.
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk has generated significant trade buzz ahead of the Nov. 5 deadline. With wideouts changing hands left and right over the last few weeks, it appears Kirk could be one of the next on the move. The seventh-year WR is in his third campaign with Jacksonville, who, after another loss on Sunday, "might make it more likely they would be willing to entertain offers for players such as Kirk," according to Schefter. Despite a solid three-week stretch, the 27-year-old has mostly taken a backseat to first-round rookie wideout Brian Thomas Jr. in the passing game thus far. That trend could continue with tight end Evan Engram back in the fold. The ESPN Insider noted that Carolina Panthers wide receiver Diontae Johnson (ribs) is a highly-sought trade piece as well, so it could be an eventful upcoming two weeks before the trade deadline. A change of scenery would undoubtedly boost his outlook.
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk has limited upside in a tough matchup with the Green Bay Packers. After a rough two-week start to the season, Kirk seemed like he was turning things around with a solid three weeks. However, since tight end Evan Engram returned from injury in Week 6, Kirk has just a combined four catches and 64 yards in the last two games. It is hard to expect more than that out of the veteran receiver against the stout Packers secondary. Kirk could take advantage of teammate Brian Thomas Jr. being shadowed by Jaire Alexander, but it is more likely Evan Engram will benefit the most out of the other receiving options. Until he shows he can coexist with Engram from a fantasy perspective, Kirk should be viewed as a low-upside flex option in Week 8.
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