Christian Kirk Recalls Bills' Josh Allen's Recruitment Pitch Before Signing With Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars may have received a lot of flak this offseason for signing wide receiver Christian Kirk to a big deal, but three games into 2022, they are the ones laughing.
Luckily for them, Kirk's success in Jacksonville is partially the result of him turning down a strong recruiting effort from Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen this offseason.
In an interview with former Texas A&M teammate and current Houston Texans quarterback Kyle Allen on an episode of “The Room” podcast, Kirk recalled Allen doing his best to sell the wide receiver on Buffalo as he approached free agency during a vacation the trio took at the end of February.
"So when we were on vacation talking about Buffalo … the funniest part about it is Josh is sitting there telling me, ‘Bro, Buffalo’s not that cold. It’s not that cold. You’ll be fine.’ And I’m sitting here looking at him like, ‘You’re lying to me. You’re not going to be able to convince me that Buffalo is not cold.’
“I do not function well in cold, and I know that it’s cold there, bottom line. So for him to be like ‘Yeah bro, it’s not cold,’ I’m like ‘Oh okay, yeah, for sure, I’m still not going.'”
Kirk, of course, ended up not in Buffalo with Allen but in Jacksonville with Trevor Lawrence, Doug Pederson and the rest of the 2022 Jaguars squad. Kirk, who the Jaguars signed to a four-year, $72 million deal with $37 million guaranteed, has been an impact in the locker room and on the field from day one, making the Jaguars sure glad he didn't listen to Allen.
"Anytime you get a chance to play for a head coach that has won a Super Bowl and has been there and knows what it takes, that’s definitely enticing. Like I mentioned, he knows what it takes to get there and he’s going to put us in the best position and coach us to get to that point because that’s our ultimate goal," Kirk said in March after he signed with the Jaguars.
We’re going to have to work towards that but having him being our head coach was definitely a big factor. Just being here, being able to play here last year and just seeing the amount of potential that’s on this roster and just knowing that it’s a few key pieces away from being able to build something special.”
Kirk is second on Jacksonville's roster in receptions (18), while leading in yards (267) and touchdown catches (three).
