Will Christian Kirk Be The No.1 Wide Receiver For The Houston Texans?

The Houston Texans figured to be active on the wide receiver market during the upcoming NFL free agency period. They have talent that they like at the position, but were lacking some firepower with the imminent departure of Stefon Diggs. They may have filled their need before free agency even begins, though, as they traded for Christian Kirk in a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Thursday.

How Will Christian Kirk Fit Into The Texans Depth Chart?

Houston’s wide receiver group was ravaged by injuries in 2024. Their big acquisition last off-season, Stefon Diggs, played in only eight games before having his season ended early. Nico Collins played in 12 of a possible 17 contests, and Tank Dell was available for 14. Improving at the position was assumed to be one of the team’s main focuses of the off-season, and they were expected to make some kind of move to bolster CJ Stroud’s arsenal of offensive weapons.

Christian Kirk will be a nice boost. The seven-year veteran has had some productive years in his career, including a 1,000 yard season and another where he fell 18 yards short of the mark. In 2022, in his first year with Jacksonville, Kirk found the end zone eight times and commanded 133 targets in 17 games played.

But like the players on the Texans’ roster, Kirk struggled with injuries last year. He suffered a broken collar bone which allowed him to play in just eight games, and he posted the lowest numbers of his career across the board.

A deal before a release: Jaguars are trading WR Christian Kirk to the Texans for a 2026 seventh-round pick that originally belonged to the Rams, as @DMRussini reported.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 6, 2025

So instead of bringing in someone like Davante Adams or Chris Godwin who would be a clear-cut number one receiver, there are questions about how much of an upgrade Christian Kirk will provide. He will likely be one of the top two players on the depth chart, but he is certainly not the Pro Bowl-level option that some Texans fans were hoping that the team would acquire.

He certainly becomes the most expensive. Kirk has one year remaining on his current contract, one that is set to pay him over $16 million in 2025. It is nearly twice the amount that is owed to Collins, and roughly the same amount that the rest of Houston’s receiver room will earn combined.

The Jaguars appeared intent on releasing Kirk and allowing him to test free agency. They’ll instead get a small amount of compensation, as the Texans have sent back a 7th round pick in the deal.