Jaguars releasing Christian Kirk: Jacksonville reportedly moving on from former 1,000-yard receiver

A day after the New York Jets officially released Davante Adams, another veteran receiver is reportedly entering the open market with the start of free agency less than a week away. The Jacksonville Jaguars plan to release Christian Kirk in a cost-cutting move, according to ESPN. 

The Jaguars will save $10.4 million against the cap by releasing Kirk, who was reportedly nearly traded before last year’s deadline before he suffered a season-ending collarbone injury. 

Still just 28 years old, Kirk is entering his eighth season in the NFL. He broke into the NFL with the Cardinals in 2018 and became a full-time starter in 2019. After putting up modest stats during his first three seasons, Kirk recorded then-career highs of 77 receptions for 982 yards during his final season in Arizona. 

Kirk’s solid final year under his rookie deal led to him signing a four-year, $72 million contract with the Jaguars during the 2022 offseason. While the deal received some skepticism at the time (it was considered to be a lot of money for a receiver who had yet to top 1,000 yards in a season), the contract quickly became a bargain for the Jaguars given Kirk’s production and the skyrocketing cost of top-tier receivers. 

During his first season in Jacksonville, Kirk set career highs with 84 receptions for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns while helping the Jaguars reach the divisional round of the playoffs. Kirk was enjoying another productive season in 2023 before an injury prematurely ended his season after 12 games. 

Kirk should receive plenty of attention from teams that need to upgrade their receiving corps. One of those teams might be the Pittsburgh Steelers, who were reportedly close to acquiring Kirk via a trade prior to his season-ending injury.