With the arrival of Christian Kirk from Jacksonville, the Houston Texans feature two of the top 20 receivers in annual salary for the upcoming season. Acquired for a seventh-round pick, Kirk’s potential is still to serve as a solid No. 2 option, though injuries have derailed his consistent play since 2023.

While Kirk might be a welcome addition to Nick Caley’s offensive personnel built around Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud, his one-year contract of $18 million is steep. It’s why Bleacher Report’s Gary Davenport recently named him the most overpaid receiver in the sport for 2025, but it mostly has to do with health rather than on-field play.

“It’s also not the fault of the Houston Texans that veteran wideout Christian Kirk has an average annual salary of $18 million,” Davenport wrote. “That contract came from the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2022 after he came up just short of 1,000 yards the year before with the Arizona Cardinals.

“The problem is the 28-year-old has just 1,166 yards in the past two seasons combined. And he has missed 14 games over the past two seasons, including nine a year ago after breaking his collarbone.

“That the Jaguars essentially gave the 2018 second-rounder to the Texans just to be rid of his contract tells you all you need to know about how the past couple of years have gone.”

When Kirk initially inked a four-year, $72 million extension in Jacksonville, he lived up to the hype. As Trevor Lawrence’s top weapon, Kirk caught a career-high 84 passes for 1,108 yards and eight scores en route to a division title and playoff victory.

But once Year 2 rolled around, so did the injuries. Kirk missed the last five games of 2023 as Houston leapfrogged over Jacksonville for the division title behind Stroud’s standout rookie season. The next year, Kirk was on the trade block, but the Jaguars elected to play the former Texas A&M star days ahead of a presumed trade to Pittsburgh. He suffered a broken collarbone and missed the rest of the season.

With Kirk looking like a one-year rental following the draft, he’ll need to put up quality numbers should he plan on inking a new $10 million-plus deal this offseason with another team. The good news? If Houston can make the conference championship, it’s money well spent.

And if not, well, it’s only for one year.

This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans newcomer Christian Kirk dubbed the most overpaid WR in 2025