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 on Sunday. What happened to Kirk in Week 8, and what’s his current injury status?
What Happened to Jaguars WR Christian Kirk in Week 8?
Kirk stayed down in pain after failing to hail in a third-down target for Trevor Lawrence with roughly 13 minutes remaining in Sunday’s 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.”
Unfortunately, Kirk suffered a broken collarbone and will miss the rest of the 2024 campaign, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schulz.
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.
Lawrence is quickly running out of pass catchers. Rookie standout Brian Thomas Jr. is questionable to return in Week 8 after suffering a fourth-quarter chest injury. Fellow wide receiver Gabe Davis never returned after injuring his shoulder in the first half.
The Jaguars’ Week 8 loss dropped them to 2-6, forcing them to consider selling assets at the trade deadline. Jacksonville already moved DT Roy Robertson-Harris, sending him to the Seattle Seahawks earlier this month.
Kirk was poised to be among the most attractive wide receivers remaining on the block after Davante Adams, Amari Cooper, and DeAndre Hopkins changed teams. Now that he’s out for the year, the Jaguars won’t have the option to exchange him for draft capital before the trade deadline.
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 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.
Fantasy Implications of Kirk’s Injury
Evan Engram is the only piece of this passing game you can trust if Thomas and Kirk miss time. Davis (if healthy) could see targets, but he’s yet to prove himself as a consistent target earner, and the depth behind him is thin at best (Tim Jones and Parker Washington).
This would, of course, put more focus on the running game. Travis Etienne Jr. is battling a hamstring injury, making Tank Bigsby the RB to feel best about. That said, if Etienne is back and both receivers are out, there’s a world in which both Jacksonville RBs can hold value.
We are well beyond playing Trevor Lawrence in single-QB leagues, and with these injuries, he’s on the fringes of the QB2 discussion. This isn’t an offense you want to invest in outside of Engram.
— PFN Analyst Kyle Soppe