Trusting Kliff Kingsbury’s judgement is a good idea for the Washington Commanders, after the offensive coordinator worked minor miracles last season, a task that would get easier if the team signed one of his favorite players, recently released wide receiver Christian Kirk, in 2025 NFL free agency.
A report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Wednesday, March 5 confirmed the Jacksonville Jaguars “plan to release” Kirk. The news quickly prompted Sam Fortier of The Washington Post to point out “Kliff Kingsbury has been a big fan of WR Christian Kirk. Could be a complement in Washington. Name to watch.”
It makes sense as a fit between team and player because of Kingsbury’s familiarity with Kirk from their days working for the Arizona Cardinals. Kirk enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2021, Kingsbury’s penultimate year as head coach of the Cards.
Kingsbury has called Kirk “one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around as far as doing everything right and working hard and a tremendous player,” per Commanders analyst Mark Bullock. Schefter’s colleague John Keim also noted “Kingsbury was a big fan back in the day.”
Pairing Kirk with newly acquired All-Pro Deebo Samuel would be a cost-effective way for the Commanders to successfully overhaul the contingent of pass-catchers around sensational dual-threat quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Kliff Kingsbury Has Right Scheme for Christian Kirk
Kingsbury’s offense is already the right fit to help Samuel bounce back, and the scheme would do the same for Kirk. The latter endured a down year with the Jags last season, although as 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen pointed out, the 28-year-old “broke his collarbone in Wk-8 last year. Expected to be healthy.”
Paulsen also noted how Kirk “averaged over 60 catches per year while playing for Kliff Kingsbury in AZ for 3 seasons. It would make a lot of sense for WSH to reach out.”
Kirk actually had his best season with the Jags in 2022, snagging 84 receptions for 1,108 yards. Those numbers were a continuation of the strides Kirk had made under Kingsbury a year earlier.
Most of that progress was made from the slot, but at least one observer doesn’t see a potential clash with Samuel.
Veteran WR Still a Fit After Deebo Samuel Trade
Kirk was electric in the slot during the 2021 campaign. He quickly paced all inside receivers early in the season, according to numbers from PFF ARZ Cardinals.
The slot is also where Samuel can be at his best. He played 169 snaps in the slot last season, per Player Profiler, but there needn’t be any congestion between the numbers if Kirk joins Samuel in a Commanders uniform.
Not according to Bullock, who believes “Kirk is versatile enough to play outside and in the slot. Deebo can move around a ton too (including in the backfield. Can mess around with stacked sets for both of them. Don’t think it would be a huge issue.”
This becomes more of a non-issue thanks to Kingsbury’s willingness to pair players in the slot. He did so on this play against the Chicago Bears from 2021, highlighted by Nate Tice of Yahoo! Sports, when Kirk aligned next to tight end Zach Ertz.
The presence of Ertz gives the Commanders another tie-in with Kirk, especially if the former is retained in free agency. If so, the Commanders will have the environment to sign Kirk on a team-friendly deal, not the lucrative contract widely derided when Kirk joined the Jags three years ago.
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