3 Observations on Jaguars Trading Christian Kirk

The Jacksonville Jaguars made one of the first big moves of the 2025 offseason on Thursday, trading away veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans for a 2026 seventh-round pick.

The move to trade Kirk certainly raised some eyebrows considering it was sending a fan-favorite and locker room leader to an AFC South rival, but what do we really make of the decision to move Kirk for a future late Day 3 pick? We break it down below.

This was a smart and measured move by the new regime

The Jaguars were able to get a pick for a player they were set to release in a matter of days because they wisely let it be known where things were heading with Kirk. It is a subtle but smart move teams often do, informing the rest of the league that if they want dibs on a soon-to-be replaced player.

The Jaguars get the same amount of cap relief for trading Kirk that they would have otherwise. And that move was going to come no matter what. Now, the Jaguars are able to leverage the situation and at least get a draft pick out of a move they were already set to make.

This isn't the first time the Jaguars have operated like this in recent years, nor did they get ground-breaking compensation for Kirk. But getting any pick for a player a team was already moving on from is always good business, no matter how you slice it.

Jaguars-Texans has some even higher stakes

The Jaguars and Texans played each other in some incredibly close games last season. Despite the Jaguars' banged up and derailed season, they could have easily beat the Texans twice last year. For a Jaguars team that wants to compete for an AFC South title in 2025, all eyes are assuredly out west to Houston.

With Kirk now joining Houston after three years as one of the faces of the Jaguars' offense, next year's stakes will certainly be raised. The Jaguars felt good enough about moving on from Kirk that they clearly did not care about the impact of trading him to an AFC South rival. We will see how right they are.

Why this was a football move as much as a cap move

The Jaguars will absolutely get some savings out of moving away from Kirk's sizeable contract, but this feels like it was about more than simply saving money ahead of free agency. It felt like the Jaguars making a statement about the team their new regime took over. It felt like a football move.

For as talented as Kirk is as a route-runner from the slot position, he is a bit of a limited player for the scheme the Jaguars are set to install. He is a slot-only, which takes away from some of the flexibility the Jaguars are seeking. He also isn't the blocker at the position the Jaguars will need moving forward.

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