For the second consecutive offseason, the Houston Texans will be bringing in a new weapon for quarterback C.J. Stroud.
The Texans are finalizing a trade for Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk, CBS Sports NFL insider Jonathan Jones reports. It was reported earlier in the week that Kirk would be released by the Jaguars as a cap casualty, but the Texans are instead sending a 2026 seventh-round pick to Jacksonville in exchange for his services.
Kirk is headed into the final season of the four-year, $72 million contract he signed with the Jaguars in 2022. He’s set to draw a (fully non-guaranteed) $15.5 million base salary in 2025, and the Texans will absorb of all that money onto their books.
He had a very strong debut season with Jacksonville in 2022, catching 84 passes for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. He struggled to stay healthy over the following two seasons, though, and combined for 84 grabs for 1,166 yards and four scores in 2023 and 2024.
He was surpassed in the team’s pecking order by Brian Thomas Jr., and with the Jags able to save approximately $10.4 million against the salary cap by moving on, it made sense for them to do so. It also makes sense for the Texans to take a shot on acquiring him.
Nico Collins is locked in as the team’s top passing-game target, but Stefon Diggs is coming off a torn ACL and may not be re-signed, while Tank Dell is in danger of missing the entire 2025 season after suffering his second consecutive devastating, season-ending leg injury. Dell recently had a second surgery, this time to repair the torn ACL that was part of his horrific late-season knee injury.
Kirk has been at his best as a vertical slot man, which makes him a nice complement to Collins, who does his best work as a traditional X-receiver. If Kirk can stay healthy, the two should form a nice one-two punch for Stroud, and if Dell can return sometime late in the year, that would only make the offense even more explosive.
The cost for Houston is also quite low as the Texans are giving up only a future seventh-round pick, so even if things don’t work out, they didn’t surrender much in their attempt to find someone to fill an important role in the offense. If he doesn’t work out or if they simply don’t want to keep him beyond 2025, they’ll at least have Dell returning for the following season.
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