Jaguars WR Christian Kirk is a bargain in light of the Justin Jefferson deal

The Jacksonville Jaguars caught plenty of flak in 2022 for giving Christian Kirk a top-market contract. A couple years later, the deal looks much better. In fact, it looks like a bargain compared to the monster contract Justin Jefferson just signed.

Jefferson became the highest-paid receiver in the NFL when he signed a four-year deal worth $140 million (an annual average of $35 million). A first-round pick in 2020, he most certainly deserves it, as he's had more than 1,000 yards in each of the past four seasons. In fact, the former LSU Tiger is close to crossing the 6,000-yard mark despite the fact that he missed seven games last year.

If that wasn't enough, Jefferson has earned all kinds of accolades: Offensive Rookie of the Year, three Pro Bowl nods, and one First-Team All-Pro designation. This is to say that the Minnesota Vikings are getting bang for their buck. With his deal, Jefferson joins the exclusive group of receivers who average more than $30 million per year. A.J. Brown, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Tyreek Hill are the others.

Just a few days before Jefferson got his deal, Jaylen Waddle inked a contract that pays him around $28.5 million per year, considerably less than Jefferson. It's fair to say that the Louisiana native has raised the bar significantly, and it may be a while before another receiver crosses it.

In the case of the Jaguars haven't made that kind of investment in the wide receiver corps. They signed Gabe Davis in free agency, but his annual average of $13 million pales in comparison to Jefferson's. Before that, they gave Christian Kirk a four-year deal worth $72 million.

The Jaguars got a bargain in Christian Kirk

The Jags turned heads when they signed Kirk in 2022 because, supposedly, he wasn't worth was he was getting paid. One talking head went as far as to say that they were destabilizing the receiver market.

Granted, the former Texas A&M Aggie had never topped 1,000 yards in his career, and he was more of a slot receiver rather than a No. 1. But as general manager Trent Baalke pointed out at the time, Jacksonville was paying him for what he could do on their offense rather than his past production. The outrage only lasted a couple months, though.

Not long after Kirk got his deal, fellow receivers Terry McLaurin and DJ Metcalf got paid. Add the fact, that he went on to have a banner year in Jacksonville, and chatter about him being overpaid receded by the end of 2022. Had he not gotten hurt last year, he would have likely put together his second straight 1,000-yard season. He's now healthy and should have a favorable chance of putting up good numbers in 2024.

As noted before, Christian Kirk thrives in the slot and Justin Jefferson is one of the most dominant receivers in the league. However, the Vikings' willingness to pay a premium for him shows that talks about Kirk being overpaid were silly in retrospect.

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