The Jacksonville Jaguars are trading wide receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans for a 2026 seventh-round pick, a source told ESPN's Adam Schefter on Thursday.
A source had told Schefter on Wednesday that the Jaguars planned to release Kirk when the new league year begins next Wednesday. But they have instead found a trade partner within their own division.
The seventh-round pick headed to Jacksonville originally belonged to the Los Angeles Rams, the source told Schefter.
Jaguars teammate Josh Hines-Allen was in shock when he reacted to the trade on social media.
"Kirk to Houston can't be real," the defensive end posted to X.
Texas head coach DeMeco Ryans foreshadowed adding a player at the receiver position during the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis, calling it an "area of emphasis." To end their 2024 playoff run, the Texans had only No. 1 wideout Nico Collins available as they were missing wideouts Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell after both sustained serious knee injuries during the regular season.
"It hurt us down the stretch, not having Stef, not having Tank. You need those playmakers, especially at the wide receiver position," Ryans said. "It enhances your ability to move the football down the field and score points."
Diggs is a free agent and Dell's availability for the 2025 season is in question since his injury happened later in the season in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs. Dell underwent a second surgery Wednesday, this time to repair a torn ACL, after earlier having surgery to repair other torn ligaments.
Kirk, who is entering the final year of his four-year contract, was scheduled to have the Jaguars' highest cap number in 2025 at $24.4 million. He is set to be paid a $15.5 million salary in 2025.
Kirk signed a four-year, $72 million deal in 2022 and set career highs in catches (84), receiving yards (1,108) and touchdown receptions (eight) that season.
But he sat out 14 games over the past two seasons because of an abdominal injury and broken collarbone, finishing with a combined 84 catches for 1,166 yards and four TDs in 20 games over that stretch.
Kirk, 28, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Arizona Cardinals, who selected him in the second round of the 2018 draft, catching 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns.
ESPN's DJ Bien-Aime and Michael DiRocco contributed to this report.