The Jacksonville Jaguars will revamp their receiver room under new coach Liam Coen.
The club plans to release wideout Christian Kirk, NFL Network's Cameron Wolfe reported on Wednesday, per sources informed of the situation. ESPN first reported the news.
Kirk was an obvious cut candidate this offseason, with a $15.5 million base salary and zero guaranteed money left on his contract. The Jags save $10.37 million on the cap with his release and eat $13.65 million in dead money, per Over The Cap.
Jacksonville signed Kirk to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2022, which at the time looked like a massive overpay for a wideout who'd never reached the 1,000-yard mark in four seasons in Arizona. With wideout contracts exploding since then, the deal didn't age as poorly as initially considered.
Kirk earned a career year in his first season in Jacksonville, tallying 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns on 84 catches in 2022, backing up the Jags' faith that the slot wideout could take his game to the next level.
However, his production waned over the next two years as injuries mounted. In 2024, he played in just eight games, earning a career-low 379 yards and one touchdown.
The Jags will move forward with star Brian Thomas Jr. coming off a record-setting rookie season, and Gabe Davis and Parker Washington atop the depth chart. Jacksonville could add more weapons in free agency or early in the draft.
In a market saturated by 30-something wideouts, the 28-year-old Kirk should find a home -- just not for the $15.5 million he was slated to earn. He now sits at No. 47 on NFL.com's Top 101 free agents list.
A reunion with Kliff Kingsbury, his former Arizona coach and current Commanders offensive coordinator, in Washington would make a lot of sense. Even after the offseason addition of Deebo Samuel alongside Terry McLaurin, the Commanders need a true slot receiver to compete with Luke McCaffrey.
