The San Francisco 49ers signed Christian Kirk in free agency with designs on making him part of a rebuilt receiving corps. Five months later, one NFL analyst believes they could cut him before he ever plays a regular-season snap for the team.
NFL.com senior news writer Kevin Patra listed Kirk as San Francisco's notable cut candidate ahead of the NFL's 53-man roster deadline, pointing to a calf injury that has kept the veteran receiver sidelined for most of training camp.
The suggestion is especially eye-catching because Kirk agreed to a one-year contract reportedly worth up to $6 million in March. But San Francisco's receiver room has changed considerably since then, giving the 49ers a legitimate roster decision to make.
Patra identified three developments working against Kirk: the lingering calf problem, San Francisco bringing Deebo Samuel back and second-round rookie De'Zhaun Stribling emerging during camp.
"The WR could be a candidate to be released and then later re-signed or elevated from the practice squad when healthy," Patra wrote.
That would have sounded far-fetched when Kirk arrived in March.
The 29-year-old entered San Francisco with 432 receptions, 5,415 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns over eight NFL seasons. He had also topped 1,100 yards with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022, giving Kyle Shanahan another experienced option alongside the other veterans on the roster.
But Kirk has been unable to establish himself this summer because of the calf injury. The 49ers listed him among the players who did not practice again on Aug. 23, continuing an absence that dates to late July.
Meanwhile, Stribling has given San Francisco reason to accelerate its plans for the No. 33 overall pick. NFL.com described the rookie as possessing a 6-foot-2 frame, 4.36 speed and the versatility to play all three receiver positions when the 49ers drafted him.
Samuel's return added another proven option to a room Kirk was initially signed to strengthen.
The financial side makes the possibility more notable.
Although Kirk's agreement was initially reported as worth up to $6 million, Spotrac lists his underlying contract at $3 million , including $2.78 million guaranteed. His projected cap hit is $2.96 million.
More importantly, Spotrac projects that releasing Kirk would leave San Francisco with $2.78 million in dead money while creating only $180,000 in cap savings.
In other words, the 49ers would gain almost nothing financially by moving on.
A release would instead be a roster-management maneuver: clear Kirk from the initial 53 while he gets healthy, then potentially bring him back afterward.
That option is possible because NFL practice squads can include up to six veterans regardless of how many accrued seasons they have. Kirk would also become a free agent immediately as a vested veteran rather than being exposed to the standard waiver process, meaning San Francisco would risk another club signing him.
There is an important distinction between what NFL.com is projecting and what the 49ers have publicly said.
Shanahan has not announced plans to release Kirk.
Instead, he said on Aug. 25 that it is "possible" Kirk begins the season on injured reserve . Kirk has been out for roughly a month because of the calf strain.
Placing Kirk on IR would preserve his contract and could allow him to return later, although San Francisco would have to use one of its available return designations.
That may ultimately be the safer path for a veteran the 49ers specifically targeted in March.
Still, the fact that an outright release is now being discussed illustrates how rapidly Kirk's situation has changed. He arrived as one of San Francisco's notable offseason additions. Now an injury, Samuel's return and Stribling's rise have created a legitimate question over whether Kirk even needs to occupy one of the first 53 roster spots.
For a player who called joining Shanahan and the 49ers a "no-brainer" earlier this offseason, the next few days could produce a very different kind of decision.
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