The Houston Texans made a significant addition to their wide receiver room ahead of a critical free agency period looming next week with their addition of now-former Jacksonville Jaguars pass catcher Christian Kirk in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick.
For a team that had their fair share of questions for their wide receiver room entering this offseason, the addition of Kirk effectively provides a safety net in the slot for this offense next to Nico Collins on the outside, adding an extra dose of confidence in this Texans scoring unit for 2025.
It's a trade that's ended up getting rave reviews around NFL circles, especially in the eyes of ESPN's Seth Walder.
When grading the Texans' outcome for their deal for Kirk, Walder gave Houston a strong A- for the move.
"Houston had a real need at wide receiver with Stefon Diggs becoming a free agent and Tank Dell recovering from a serious knee injury that just required another surgery," Walder wrote. "Kirk played mostly in the slot in Jacksonville, but that's just fine working alongside Nico Collins... It might seem odd to give praise to Houston, as it dealt a pick for a player who was about to be cut. But given the number of teams that need or at least could use a wide receiver, and how much cap space NFL teams have, in a couple of weeks I think we might look back at Kirk's contract as bit of a bargain that the Texans were smart to scoop up."
Kirk was a bit limited in his most recent campaign with the Jaguars. The veteran appeared in eight games to post 27 catches, 379 yards, and one touchdown through 2024.
Now, he finds his way to a new situation in Houston, potentially acting as the team's number-two option to kick off next season only for the small price of a future seventh-round selection.
The Texans still have the potential to add more bodies to their receiver room in either free agency in the draft, but on paper so far, Houston has gotten off to a great start in making the necessary upgrades on the offensive end this offseason.
