The Tennessee Titans are entering next week's free agency period with a fairly sizable need at wide receiver. Nick Westbrook-Ikhine and Tyler Boyd are on expiring contracts and may not return to Nashville next season. Calvin Ridley is currently the only proven asset under contract at the position.
It's been difficult to identify potential Titans targets at wide receiver in free agency. The crop of veterans expected to be available is littered with aging assets such as Keenan Allen, Amari Cooper, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tyler Lockett. They are players in decline who don't fit the Titans' timeline.
One potentially intriguing target was Christian Kirk. It was announced on Wednesday that the Jaguars intended to release Kirk from his contract, making him a free agent the Titans could have pursued. In a surprising turn of events, he was traded to the Houston Texans on Thursday before his release became official.
Jaguars trade potential Titans target to Texans
The cash-strapped Jaguars were going to release Kirk. That's when the Texans called and offered them a future seventh-round pick. The compensation going back to Jacksonville is little, but anything's better than nothing.
Ridding themselves of Kirk saved Jacksonville roughly $10.4 million in salary cap space. It was previous general manager Trent Baalke who signed him to a bloated four-year, $72 million contract.
New GM James Gladstone couldn't stomach the $24 million scheduled cap charge following two injury-riddled seasons for Kirk in 2023 and 2024. In his first season with Jacksonville, Kirk recorded a personal-best 1,108 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Since then, he's missed 14 of the next 34 regular-season contests.
There's also a fairly notable connection on staff. Titans offensive coordinator Nick Holz served as Kirk's passing-game coordinator in Jacksonville during the 2023 season. Kirk was limited to 12 appearances, but still accumulated 57 catches for 787 yards and three touchdowns. He averaged an explosive 13.8 yards per reception with Holz overseeing the passing game.
Furthermore, Ridley was also on that 2023 Jacksonville team. The connection between Ridley and Holz helped the Titans identify the former as a target during last offseason's free agency period. Something similar could have occurred between Holz and Kirk if Houston didn't throw Jacksonville a lifeline.
The Titans must now consider alternatives, including drafting a receiver instead of dipping back into the veteran free-agent pool, though they'll need instant contributors for whoever is playing quarterback next season. Head coach Brian Callahan won't feel comfortable relying on Treylon Burks or Jha'Qhan Jackson to make positive impacts on offense. Kirk would have been a natural replacement for Boyd as the slot receiver in Callahan's preferred 11 personnel scheme.
The Texans had also been searching for veteran production and experience at receiver. By offering the Jaguars a draft pick, they ensured Kirk wouldn't even hit the open market. The Titans unfortunately missed out on a potential target.
