Christian Kirk to sign with Jaguars: Fantasy Football outlook plus what it means for Trevor Lawrence, more
The Jaguars aren't waiting for the draft to upgrade Lawrence's supporting cast
Christian Kirk is now the newest member of the Jacksonville Jaguars after reportedly agreeing to a four-year contract that will become official when the new league year begins shortly after the legal tampering period. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the deal will be a four-year, $84 million contract. This came shortly after the news that Jacksonville intends to sign Pro Bowl offensive guard Brandon Scherff to bolster second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence's offensive line.
Speaking of Lawrence, this is a boost for his stock in addition to Kirk' stock -- the latter of whom will now likely see a greater target share in Jacksonville than he did with Arizona Cardinals in their crowded wide receiver corps. Despite at times playing in a limited role, Kirk caught a career-high 77 passes for 982 yards and five touchdowns in 2021. The Jaguars also added to Lawrence's receiver corps when they signed Marvin Jones last offseason. Both Kirk and Jones have experience playing inside in the slot and on the outside as an X and Z receiver -- they will likely be utilized as interchangeable pieces in new head coach Doug Pederson's offensive system.
The Jaguars depth chart is lacking in a lot of areas, but maybe nowhere more than speed at the wide receiver position. Jones and Laviska Shenault had such a hard time getting separation that Jamal Agnew was functioning as the team's No. 1 receiver at times. Kirk should, at the very least, add straight-line speed.
Where, and exactly how, Kirk fits in this offense is a bit of a mystery. He lined up in the slot for 49% of his snaps last season, a position which was thought to be Shenault's. If the Jaguars add another outside wide receiver and Kirk essentially replaces Shenault, that would make sense. If the team tries to play Kirk as a true No. 1 receiver outside, he could struggle to get open.
Back in 2019, before the team acquired DeAndre Hopkins, Kirk averaged eight targets per game for the Cardinals. That's probably a decent bet as to where he ends up in his first year in Jacksonville, at least as the roster is currently constructed. At his career efficiency that could put him in line for 80-80 catches for just over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. Trevor Lawrence will need to make a leap for that to come to fruition. For now, draft Kirk as a boom/bust WR3 with upside and drop Shenault and Jones outside of the first 10 rounds.
This could spell the end of the line in Jacksonville for their former second-round draft pick D.J. Chark who will enter the wide receiver free agent market coming off an injured season. Kirk was selected by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Texas A&M. In 56 career games, he has caught 236 passes for 2,902 yards and 17 touchdowns.
