Coming off the Urban Meyer era, the Jacksonville Jaguars were in dire need of playmakers. That's why they didn't hesitate to take out the checkbook to sign a handful of free agents in 2021. Of the bunch, the one that got the most attention was Christian Kirk. Unfortunately, the spotlight he got was because the Jags gave him a top-market contract despite the fact that there were other more accomplished receivers at the time who didn't get paid as much as he did.
Fast forward to 2025, and Kirk is now playing for the Houston Texans, which immediately turned their divisional bouts must-watch TV.
Before the start of free agency, Jacksonville traded Kirk to the Texans in exchange for a seventh-round selection. While he could still have helped, the $10 million in space that his departure created was too good to pass up. Now, the Jags will get to face the former Texas A&M Aggie twice in 2025.
The first game will be in Week 3 at EverBank Stadium, and the rematch will be in Week 10 at NRG Stadium. The first bout will take place during a gauntlet of games that will start with the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 and will finish with the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5. The second one will be after Jacksonville's BYE.
By then, the Jags will more or less have an idea of how his season is going. Best-case scenario, they got off to a strong start, and beating Houston in Week 10 could allow them to increase their chances of potentially making a playoff run. On the other hand, if they don't have a good record, they could still play spoilers. Either way, Jacksonville will be incentivized to pull off the sweep or at least beat its divison foes once in 2025.
Why the Jaguars cut ties with Christian Kirk
The Jacksonville Jaguars gave Christian Kirk a four-year deal worth $72 million. At the time, the contract raised eyebrows because he had never posted a 1,000-yard season during his four-year stint with the Arizona Cardinals. However, he quickly made an impact for the Jags, registering a personal-best 84 catches for 1,108 yards with eight touchdowns.
Unfortunately, injuries hampered Kirk the past two years, and he wasn't nearly as effective. Following the end of 2024, he was set to enter a contract season, but his future in Jacksonville was in doubt because releasing him or trading him would create $10 million in space. It didn't help that fellow Parker Washington did a superb job of filling in for him during his absence. Couple that with the fact that there was a new regime in place, and his fate was pretty much sealed.
The time came, and the Jaguars moved on from Christian Kirk. Now, he'll have two chances in 2025 to prove that they made a mistake, or not.
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