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Jaguars' WR Christian Kirk, TE Evan Engram became too expensive to justify keeping them | Frenette
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- Jaguars' WR Christian Kirk, TE Evan Engram became too expensive to justify keeping them | Frenette
While it may involve short-term pain for Jacksonville Jaguars fans hating to see popular players leave, the moves to trade receiver Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans and release tight end Evan Engram were necessary evils to properly reboot the franchise.
As much as the presence of Kirk and Engram in the locker room and as favored go-to weapons for Trevor Lawrence will be missed, the Jaguars probably did the right thing for their future by parting ways with their two highest salary-cap players.
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Since the 28-year-old Kirk and 30-year-old Engram were unlikely to be with the Jaguars in 2026, it was more prudent to cut the cord now, especially since both players have medical issues and ended last season on injured reserve. Kirk missed 14 games the past two years and Engram was out for nine games last season, first with a hamstring injury and then a torn labrum that required surgery.
It was more of a stunner that Kirk was traded to the AFC rival Houston Texans for a 2026 seventh-round draft pick, per multiple reports, after he was previously scheduled to be released. The Jaguars signed Kirk to a four-year, $72 million contract in 2022, and he lived up to the pricey value of that deal until injuries became too much of an issue.
The Jaguars' 2023 season cratered to a 1-5 finish after Kirk sustained a groin injury on the first series of a Monday Night Football loss to the Cincinnati Bengals . Last year, the team was 2-5 when Kirk missed the rest of the season after fracturing his collarbone in the fourth quarter of a 30-27 loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.
The contract situations for Kirk and Engram are no different than what faces many NFL teams this time of year. As expensive players either get older or become more of a medical question mark, decisions on whether to keep them become dicey.
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More: Why Jacksonville Jaguars' Trevor Lawrence should aspire to be Matthew Stafford, Philip Rivers
Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Christian Kirk (13), seen here leaving the field after sustaining a collarbone injury against the Green Bay Packers in 2024 that ended his season, was released this week because he became too expensive for the team to keep him around.
Since there was no future in Jacksonville for either player beyond this season, saving a combined $16.5 million on the salary cap made sense from a timing standpoint as new head coach Liam Coenand GM James Gladstoneprioritize each player's value.
Kirk and Engram, who got a three-year extension before the 2023 season, were worth the investment when healthy and producing. However, the risk of keeping injury-marred players one more year at their price tags is a different story.
When older, expensive players become expendable — even with quality human beings like Kirk and Engram — it's better to move on from them one year early than hang on too long. And now, with No. 13 going to Houston, the Jaguars-Texans rivalry just got amped up.
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Morse departure good for both sides
While the retirement announcement Thursday by Mitch Morse leaves a temporary void at center, it's actually a good thing for both the Jaguars and the 10-year NFL veteran.
For Morse, he got to collect $7 million in guaranteed money from the two-year, $10 million contract he signed last year. So he got one last golden parachute before retiring to his wife and kids without leaving much money on the table.
Jacksonville Jaguars center Mitch Morse (65) lines up during the organized team activity session Monday, June 3, 2024 at EverBank Stadium's Miller Electric Center in Jacksonville, Fla.
On the Jaguars' end, losing Morse might be a tad problematic in the short term, but Coen and Gladstone were going to have to replace him after this season anyway.
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Now they can start the process of finding a starting center in free agency or the NFL draft, which gives Morse's replacement time to get acclimated and hopefully be a more effective starter in 2026 and beyond.
Remember, NFL rosters are constantly changing, so close to two-thirds of the Jaguars' roster that Coen and Gladstone inherited is probably not going to be in Jacksonville in two years. Consequently, if some players depart a year sooner than some people initially thought, it's not a bad thing.
Of course, the flip side for the Jaguars is with all these roster holes and now having $60 million in salary cap space (per Spotrac), it's more imperative for Coen and Gladstone to score big next week in free agency and use those 10 picks in the NFL draft wisely. Picking fifth in the draft isn't where the Jaguars want to be in the future.
High-stakes SEC tourney should be fascinating
This year, the basketball entertainment figures to be nuts in Nashville.
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With Todd Golden's Florida Gators and three other teams (Auburn, Tennessee and Alabama) still in position to grab a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, three others (Missouri, Kentucky, Texas A&M) a potential top-4 seed and three (Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma) squarely on the bubble, next week's SEC tournament could be absolute chaos.
Barring an early tourney exit, Auburn has probably done enough to be locked in as a No. 1 seed, but Florida, Tennessee and 'Bama are right in that 1-2 swing position.
Their seeding could hinge on the outcome of a head-to-head matchup at Bridgestone Arena between any of those top four seeds, just as the No. 7-ranked Gators might have inched ahead of 'Bama by virtue of Wednesday night's impressive 99-94 road victory on the strength of a career-high 27 points from 6-foot-11 forward Alex Condon.
While there's not much difference between a 2 and 3 seed in the NCAA bracket, getting to that 1 line is a big deal because it can lead to slightly more favorable matchups in the Sweet 16 (if they get that far) and Elite Eight.
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Florida's combination of having a three-headed backcourt monster in Walter Clayton Jr.(16.9 ppg), Alijah Martin(14.7) and Will Richard(13.6), plus the Gators' ability to rebound and get out in transition, will be a difficult matchup for anybody in March Madness.
There will be no meaningless games in the SEC tourney because too many teams are either trying to stay on the right side of the bubble or pining for a No. 1 seed.
Frankly, SEC commissioner Greg Sankeycan only hope his league's most important sport has this kind of depth for any future College Football Playoff scenario.
gfrenette@jacksonville.com (904) 359-4540; Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @genefrenette
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Jaguars trading WR Kirk, cutting Engram right call for franchise in reboot mode
