Cutting costs was a theme for the Jacksonville Jaguars Thursday, and Pro Bowl tight end Evan Engram became a cap casualty, according to multiple reports. 

Earlier in the day, Christian Kirk, the veteran wide receiver who was going to be released anyway, was traded to the Houston Texans in exchange for a 2026 seventh-round pick, according to The Athletic. 

Kirk carried the team’s heftiest cap hit at $24.1 million, and the team is scheduled to save just over $10 million by getting him off the books, according to Over The Cap. 

Engram was the second-biggest cap hit for Jacksonville for the 2025 season at $19.49 million, per Over the Cap. By releasing him, the Jags are absorbing $13.5 million in dead cap money and saving just under $6 million. 

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Jacksonville’s new GM, James Gladstone, who was hired Feb. 21, is showcasing his immediate plan to create cap space for free agent moves, while keeping his 2025 NFL Draft class in mind. 

The move for Kirk makes sense considering the Jags still have wide receivers Brian Thomas Jr., Gabe Davis and Parker Washington. Kirk, a seven-year veteran, also has an injury history.

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However, Engram had a breakout season in 2023, his second Pro Bowl year, with 114 catches for 963 yards and four touchdowns. 

But Engram also dealt with injuries in 2024, tearing a labrum that required mid-December surgery. He also sat out Weeks 2-5 with a hamstring injury, limiting him to nine games. 

Engram finished the year with 47 receptions for 365 yards and one touchdown. 

The 30-year-old was a first-round pick by the New York Giants in 2017 out of Ole Miss, and he had an up-and-down career in five seasons before signing with the Jaguars. 

Now a free agent, Engram will be searching for a tight end-needy squad — the Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears and Denver Broncos could be looking in that department — while the Jaguars will head into next season with Brenton Strange, Shawn Bowman and Patrick Murtagh on the depth chart. 

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The Jacksonville Jaguars have reportedly made a trade with the Houston Texans, sending veteran wide receiver Christian Kirk to their AFC South rival. 

Houston gets a 2026 seventh-round pick, which originally belonged to the Los Angeles Rams, in exchange for Kirk, according to The Athletic. 

The trade comes one day after news broke that the Jaguars planned to release Kirk, who missed the final nine games of the 2024 season due to a broken collarbone. 

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That move would have saved Jacksonville $10.7 million against their salary cap, according to Spotrac. The trade does the same thing while adding a draft pick. 

Kirk was going to have the team’s highest cap hit this season at $24.4 million while being paid a $15.5 million salary, according to Spotrac. But new general manager James Gladstone, who joined the new Jags regime Feb. 21 to be paired with head coach Liam Coen, is clearly showing he’s not afraid to make moves already, even with a divisional rival. 

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Kirk quickly developed a rapport with quarterback Trevor Lawrence after being signed to a four-year, $72 million deal in 2022, registering career highs in catches (84), yards (1,108) and touchdowns (eight) in that campaign. 

However, an abdominal injury cost him five games in 2023, and his collarbone fracture limited him to eight games in the third year of his deal. 

The emergence of rookie Brian Thomas Jr. as a clear top receiver to build the pass game around, as well as Parker Washington playing well out of the slot in Kirk’s absence, leaves the Jaguars in a good place despite a veteran of seven years moving to a different team. 

For the Texans, Kirk’s addition makes sense considering Tank Dell, their speedy, young receiver, is likely to miss the entire 2025 season after tearing an ACL, MCL and LCL and dislocating his kneecap in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs in December. 

Kirk could miss time due to his own recovery from his collarbone injury, but he isn’t expected to be out the entire 2025 campaign. 

The Texans could still add to their pass game because Stefon Diggs, who built great chemistry with quarterback C.J. Stroud before an injury ended his season, is a free agent on the market this offseason. 

Through seven seasons, four with the Arizona Cardinals, who took him 47th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, Kirk has 236 receptions for 2,902 yards and 17 receiving touchdowns in 56 career games. 

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