Steelers Lose Christian Kirk to Texans

The Pittsburgh Steelers are no longer in the running for wide receiver Christian Kirk.

Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk (13) tries to manuver past Green Bay Packers safety Javon Bullard (20) during the third quarter of an NFL football matchup Sunday, Oct. 27, 2024 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. The Packers edged the Jaguars 30-27 on a last-second field goal. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers nearly pulled off a trade for Christian Kirk ahead of the trade deadline back in November, but their chances of acquiring him this offseason are officially zilch.

The Jaguars are instead rerouting him within the AFC South to the Houston Texans for a 2026 seventh-round pick, where he'll pair up with quarterback C.J. Stroud.

It's a 2026 7th-round pick going to Jacksonville for Christian Kirk. The #Texans take on Christian Kirk's existing contract, which is set to pay him $16.5 million in 2025, the final year on the deal. https://t.co/NU4MqShdY1
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 6, 2025

Houston will take on the $16.5 million he has left in the final year of his contract before reaching free agency after the 2025 season.

A broken collarbone ended Kirk's 2024 season after just eight games while also putting a kibosh on the Steelers' pursuit of the 28-year-old. When healthy, he posted 27 receptions for 379 yards and a touchdown.

Kirk signed a four-year deal worth $72 million in March 2022, which was widely panned as an overpay by Jacksonville. He proved the team right in his first season there, however, as he finished with 84 catches for 1,108 yards and eight scores before logging 787 yards and three touchdowns over 12 games in 2023.

New Jaguars general manager James Gladstone inferred that Kirk wasn't available while speaking at the NFL Combine, though he's now on the move to a division rival.

Pittsburgh's search for receiver help will ramp up once the legal tampering period begins on March 10, with the new league year set to start two days later on March 12.

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