The Jacksonville Jaguars might’ve hoped to trade wideout Christian Kirk before the NFL’s Nov. 5 trade deadline, but the veteran pass catcher went down with an injury in Week 8. What happened to the veteran receiver, and what’s his status moving forward?
What Is Christian Kirk’s Injury?
Kirk stayed down in pain after failing to hail in a third-down target from Trevor Lawrence with roughly 13 minutes remaining in the Oct. 27 game against the Green Bay Packers.
Kirk bypassed the blue medical tent along the Jaguars’ sideline and went directly to Jacksonville’s locker room.
Christian Kirk holding his arm after this play. pic.twitter.com/M8KDKNzDac
— SM Highlights (@SMHighlights1) October 27, 2024
The Jaguars ruled Kirk out almost immediately with a shoulder injury. While Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson didn’t offer an update on Kirk’s status during his postgame press conference, Jacksonville’s starting tight end Evan Engram offered his thoughts.
“He’s one of the best teammates I’ve ever had, ever been around, one of the smartest players I’ve been around. One of the best leaders I’ve been around,” Engram said, according to Juston Lewis of The Florida Times-Union.
“You saw him cut up today too, he was rolling, he was getting going. Just a very unfortunate event.”
When Will Kirk Return From Injury?
Unfortunately, Kirk suffered a broken collarbone and will miss the rest of the 2024 campaign, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
Kirk caught two passes for 59 yards before departing Week 8. He entered Sunday’s game with 25 catches on 45 targets for 320 yards and one touchdown.
Kirk’s injury was part of a recent spate of ailments for the Jaguars’ offense. Gabe Davis was injured the same week and missed a game, while Brian Thomas Jr. also suffered a chest injury vs. Green Bay (though he would play through his injury).
The biggest blow came the following week, when Trevor Lawrence suffered a left shoulder injury that reportedly has him considering all options, including surgery. The two-win Jaguars are already out of contention for anything except a top-five draft pick, but a long-term Lawrence absence would seal the deal.
Kirk was poised to be among the most attractive wide receivers remaining on the trading block after Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins changed teams. His injury was poorly timed in that regard, robbing the Jaguars of the opportunity to move him for trade capital to expedite their rebuild.
Kirk posted 84 catches for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns for Jacksonville in 2022 and was on a similar pace in 2023 before suffering a season-ending groin injury in Week 13. The Jaguars went 1-4 down the stretch without him, a collapse that saw them miss the playoffs.
The 27-year-old inked a four-year, $72 million free agent deal with the Jaguars in 2022 after spending four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals. He’s due a $15.5 million, non-guaranteed base salary in 2025. Jacksonville could release Kirk next offseason while clearing $10.7 million in salary cap space.
How Has Kirk’s Absence Impacted the Jacksonville Jaguars?
Thomas and Engram are the only pieces of this passing game you can trust at the moment, particularly with Lawrence out and Mac Jones starting at quarterback. Davis (if healthy) could see targets, but he’s yet to prove himself as a consistent target earner, and the depth behind him (Tim Jones and Parker Washington) is thin at best.
Of course, this would put more focus on the running game. The issue is that Travis Etienne Jr.’s return from a hamstring injury has led to a true committee. In Week 9, Tank Bigsby played 55% of the snaps, Etienne played 31%, and third-stringer D’Ernest Johnson got in the mix with 22%.
This isn’t an offense you want to invest in unless the former first-rounder Mac Jones demonstrates an unexpected revival in his second stop.