The Jacksonville Jaguars weren't holding a firesale before the trade deadline but they were certainly open to dealing some of their players. Wide receiver Christian Kirk was one of them, and the Jags might reportedly have sent him to the Pittsburgh Steelers if he hadn't broken his collarbone in the Week 9 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reported that the Pittsburgh Steelers were making a strong push to acquire Kirk before he suffered the season-ending injury.
"The Steelers were in the process of trying to get a deal done for Christian Kirk, and league sources told ESPN there was a reasonable chance that the Jaguars wide receiver was going to wind up in Pittsburgh until he broke his collarbone last Sunday.
Pittsburgh's hope of upgrading its receiving corps was derailed, at least temporarily. But the Steelers are not giving up, a league source told ESPN."
This isn't particularly surprising. After all, Jacksonville already sent left tackle Cam Robinson to the Minnesota Vikings, showing their willingness to trade players in exchange for future assets. Moreover, the Steelers have been in need of receiver help and were seen as a potential suitor for Kirk before the November 5 deadline. In fact, they'll keep making inquiries and possibly set their sights on Adam Thielen (Carolina Panthers), or Mike Williams (New York Jets), according to Schefter.
A second-round pick in 2018, Kirk joined the Jags in 2022. At the time, general manager Trent Baalke was severely criticized for giving him top-market money despite the fact that he had never reached the 1,000-yard mark receiver. However, the former Texas A&M Aggie quickly silenced critics by posting career bests for touchdowns, catches, and receiving yards in his first season in Duval.
Kirk was one of Trevor Lawrence's most trusted targets on offense, but he became expendable due to the ascension of sophomore Parker Washington. On top of that, he suffered season-ending injuries in consecutive years. When you add that the Arizona native going to enter a contract year in 2025, it's easy to understand why the team's brass was ready to move on from him.
Signs point toward the Jaguars moving on from Christian Kirk in 2025
Christian Kirk is a highly-regarded player in the Jaguars locker room, but he's set to count $24.3 million against the cap next year. The Jags could create $10.7 million in space with $13.6 million in dead money if they release him or trade him.
Kirk was probably the last player Jacksonville planned to trade before the deadline, but their willingness to move one of their veterans demonstrates that they're already planning for the future.
It's worth noting that the Jags could revamp their front office. That means, a new regime could be making a decision about Kirk's future with the team. Because the new brass would be inheriting the veteran receiver, they wouldn't feel the need to keep him around. On the off chance that Trent Baalke remains in place, he's already shown that he was willing to trade him. Either way, it paints a bleak picture of his future with the team.
The bottom line is that Christian Kirk has been a valuable contributor to the Jacksonville Jaguars since joining the organization. However, the decision-makers also recognized that he's not part of their future, and tried to move on from him instead of holding onto him. That's the nature of the business.