Big Cat Country
Instead of releasing him, the Jaguars are acquiring an additional 7th-round pick in 2026.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the Jacksonville Jaguars were planning on releasing wide receiver Christian Kirk ahead of next week’s start to free agency. Instead, the team is acquiring some extra draft capital en route to sending him to the Houston Texans. Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, the Jaguars are receiving a 2026 seventh-round pick in exchange for Kirk.
In turn, the Texans will take on Kirk’s 2025 salary which will pay him $16.5 million for the upcoming season which will be the final year of his current deal.
This is a smart move by new general manager James Gladstone who was able to acquire some form of draft capital for a player they were going to release anyway. Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million deal in 2022 en route to setting career highs with 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns that year. However, he missed 14 games over the following two seasons and has not produced up to his deal in that span.
The move will save the Jaguars $10.732 million in cap space and it keeps Kirk from being the team’s highest cap hit in 2025 as he was set to count for $24.4 million.
