The value of Christian Kirk

It’s been a long but eventful offseason for the Jacksonville Jaguars. The franchise has signed long-term contracts with its two best players, hired new defensive coordinator Ryan Nielsen, and added much-needed talent on both sides of the ball.

With so many new faces added over the course of the offseason, it’s easy to overlook some of the returning, impactful players this team has on its roster, and one of them is none other than receiver Christian Kirk.

Christian Kirk is the first player I’m talking about in an ongoing series: Jaguars Stats of the Week. So what is it, what stat caught my eye? What makes Kirk so good?

Christian Kirk’s 1,416 yards in the slot are the second-most of any receiver in 2022-2023.

Christian Kirk is a slot maven and excels in a role that was often undervalued in the past. Today, it’s a role that’s much more valued. According to Pro Football Network, 71.3% of Kirk’s routes in 2023 came from the slot, the 8th highest among qualified receivers.

This stat is even more remarkable considering Kirk missed nearly six games in the 2023 season. In just 12 games, Kirk amassed 593 yards from the slot. Those 593 yards were enough for Kirk to still rank 7th among all receivers at the end of the year.

Despite Kirk’s specialty in the slot, ironically he managed to perform exceptionally well as a deep receiver. In 2023, Kirk caught 10 balls on 15 attempts for 331 yards and scored two touchdowns on balls thrown over 20 yards. Those numbers add up to an insane NFL rating of 121.5.

Speaking of slot receivers, Evan Engram has become a threat in his own right. Engram’s 624 yards from the lineup were the fourth-most among all receivers and by far the most among tight ends. The Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson was second with just 452 yards, 172 fewer than Engram.

The signing of Kirk was a much-debated topic, as many felt the Jaguars spent too much on a player who had not yet proven he was worth his contract. Two years later, Kirk has totaled 141 receptions, 1,895 yards and 11 touchdowns.

To further contextualize Kirk’s success in Jacksonville, Kirk only needs 979 receiving yards in 2024 to jump from 17th to 4th in franchise history. Jimmy Smith, Keenan McCardell and Marcedes Lewis have safely secured the top spots… for now.

The signings of Brian Thomas Jr. and Gabe Davis have generated a lot of excitement because of what they bring to the offense, and rightly so. However, I believe the return of Kirk could be even more important to the upcoming success of Trevor Lawrence and the rest of the Jaguars offense. The chemistry between the two is already there; that bond could become even stronger in 2024.