Christian Kirk Jaguars Contract: Bad News for Terry McLaurin in Washington?
The Washington Commanders are admittedly handcuffed during this free agency period with little-to-no cap room available to sign needed upgrades at several key positions.
The acquisition of quarterback Carson Wentz and his $28 million salary for 2022 made sure of that.
But the Jacksonville Jaguars are on the other end of that salary cap spectrum and had all the money to spend. And two recent signings by the Jaguars will affect the Commanders profoundly.
First, Jacksonville signed former Washington standout offensive lineman Brandon Scherff, creating a need for the Commanders to fill his spot at right guard. Second, the Jaguars grossly overpaid for former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Christian Kirk with a four-year contract worth $84 million.
How does Kirk's ridiculous contract affect Washington?
That contract will have a snowball effect on the price tag for Commanders' wideout Terry McLaurin. Let's put the value of the contract into perspective: Jacksonville is paying Kirk, who's never had a 1,000-yard season in four years in the league, roughly $18 million per season. Add into the equation Kirk's quarterback, Kyler Murray, who is arguably a top-10 QB in the league.
Todd Kirkland/Getty Images
Scott Taetsch/Getty Images
Let's compare to McLaurin, who posted back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and missed three consecutive by just 81 yards his rookie campaign. And he's done this while catching passes from eight different average to below-average quarterbacks in his career.
But maybe the worst news of all for Washington is that Kirk has never been a No. 1 receiver with the Cardinals, and he's still getting $18 million per year as now the highest-paid wideout in the NFL.
McLaurin is extension-eligible this offseason, and it's now likely he'll demand $20 million or more per season, most likely placing him out of the Commanders' comfort zone, if not their price range.
Washington will have to deal with that when the time comes, just as the club has had to do with all other skill positions while struggling to rebuild with very little cap space.
