Jaguars plan to release wide receiver Christian Kirk, per reports
(Update: the Jaguars are trading Kirk to the Texans, according to reports.)
The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to release veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk, ESPN reported Wednesday.
Kirk, 28, is the latest veteran to be released as teams around the league work to create more cap space ahead of the start of free agency next week.
The former Cardinal was set to play out the final year of his contract with the Jaguars in 2025 after three years with the team. Instead, Jacksonville will eat $13.5 million in dead cap this year to save $10.6 million in space.
When Kirk signed his four-year, $72 million contract with the Jaguars ahead of the 2022 season, it reset the wide receiver market. The deal created a domino effect of other talented receivers asking for more valuable contracts, ultimately serving as the catalyst for the blockbuster trades of star receivers Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams and A.J. Brown later that same offseason.
During the first year of Kirk's big contract, he set career-high marks in catches (84), yards (1,108) and touchdowns (8). The latter two years were marred with injury.
In 2023, the wideout missed the final five games of the season dealing with a core injury. Last year, he suffered a season-ending collarbone fracture in the Jaguars' Week 8 loss to the Packers.
After his release becomes official, Kirk will hit the open market as a free agent eight months before his 29th birthday and join an ever-growing list of talented pending free-agent wide receivers. Jacksonville will move on with second-year receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and veteran Gabe Davis, whom it signed to a three-year deal last offseason, leading its passing offense.