100 Days Until Jaguars Kickoff: How Can Christian Kirk Reach Key Milestone?
In 100 days, the Jacksonville Jaguars will kickoff against the Indianapolis Colts as they take their first step toward contending for a Super Bowl title.
But until the Jaguars' Week 1 tilt vs. the Colts on Sept. 10, we will be taking a look at 100 storylines in 100 days.
First up in the series: the No. 100 and how Christian Kirk's pursuit in 2023. After a career year, can Kirk become just the second Jaguar wideout to ever record 100 catches in a season?
Kirk, who the Jaguars signed to a four-year, $72 million deal with $37 million guaranteed in March, was everything the Jaguars could have asked for in 2022 during a career year.
Kirk finished with career highs in yards (1,108), catches (84), and touchdowns (8) while also catching 15 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns in the playoffs. Kirk finished tied for 18th in catches, 14th in receiving yards, and tied for 11th in touchdown catches.
Kirk's 84 catches were the eighth-most by any Jaguars receiver in a single season and more than any receiver not named Jimmy Smith or Keenan McCardell. To get to 100 catches, though, Kirk will have to elevate himself to a place only Smith has been to.
There have only been too 100+ catch seasons in franchise history: Smith's record 116-catch season in 1999 and then 112 catches in 2001. Otherwise, no other receiver who has ever taken snaps for the team has done what No. 1 receivers do almost annually.
Kirk has a chance to change that in 2022. It took him just one season to already catch more passes than the likes of Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, DJ Chark, and Cecil Shorts. But it will take even more for Kirk to hit 100 catches.
For Kirk to record 100 catches in 2023, he will need to average 5.88 catches per game. Recording close to six catches a game can be tough in an NFL where the ball can be spread out so evenly over the course of a season, especially considering Kirk will be sharing the field with Zay Jones, Calvin Ridley, Evan Engram, and Travis Etienne.
If Kirk sees the targets, though, then he will have a chance. Kirk averaged 5.23 catches per game in 2019 and saw his catches per game increase over each of the last two seasons as his targets per game have increased. It would likely take Kirk an average of between seven to eight targets per game for him to have a chance for 100.
Can Kirk do it? If the Jaguars lean even more so on the passing game in 2023, he will have a fighting chance. He has the kind of chemistry with Trevor Lawrence and fit in the Jaguars' scheme that if any player should be trusted to see a high level of volume targets, it is Kirk.
