What Should the Jaguars Do With Christian Kirk?

When the Jaguars signed Christian Kirk to a four-year, 72 million-dollar contract in 2022, the move was seen by many as a gross overpay and a foolish acquisition by the franchise.

In reality, it was a stroke of brilliance that brought an undervalued pass catcher to a team in need of speed and as a result, broke the wide receiver market, forcing other teams to use a larger percentage of their cap space to sign top receivers and subsequently top defensive backs.

In the modern NFL market, there has arguably been no move more detrimental to retaining a roster than Kirk's deal, and while the Jaguars did cause chaos back in 2022, the same season Kirk helped Jacksonville win the AFC South and a home playoff game, 2025 calls on the team to say goodbye to the overlooked and underappreciated playmaker.

Kirk has been a dude in the NFL for a long time and it was team dysfunction in Arizona that prevented him from becoming a household name. However, Kirk is due for a 24.1 million dollar cap hit next season, the last year of his deal.

Kirk has exited the last two seasons with season-ending injuries, and considering he'll be 29 in November, the team needs to trade or release him this offseason as there seems to be no intention of extending him. If he's moved before June 1st, the team will save 10 million dollars, and he'll be off the books for 2026.

If Kirk is moved after 6/1, the Jaguars would save 16.3 million in 2025 but have a dead cap number of 7.7 in 2025 and 5.7 in 2026. 2026 is when Trevor Lawrence's extension will kick in. The Jaguars will need about 16 million dollars to sign their entire 2025 draft class and have only 33.6 million in cap space.

By moving on from Kirk, he could play for a contender while he hopes to do enough to warrant a third contract. His departure and subsequent savings by the team also covers the Jaguars draft class, depending on when Kirk is moved, and would give the team enough money to do things like fix their offensive line, add to their defense, or even make a move for Tee Higgins.

While it would be a painful break, especially for a player who has severed the organization proudly, the NFL is a business, and as Wu-Tang said ... cash rules everything.

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