After making waves with the addition of Mike Evans in free agency, the San Francisco 49ers are going back to the wide receiver well in a major way, guaranteeing that Brock Purdy has another veteran weapon to throw to this fall in the form of ex-Arizona Cardinals/Jacksonville Jaguars/Houston Texans wide receiver Christian Kirk.
Taking to social media to announce the signing, Fox Sports' Jordan Schultz broke down the news, including how much the 29-year-old will make for the 2026 season.
“Sources: The 49ers are signing WR Christian Kirk to a 1-year, $6M deal. Kirk is the latest WR addition in San Fran, after they also signed WR Mike Evans,” Schultz wrote. “Kirk had 10 catches, 164 yards, and 2 TDs in the postseason for the Texans last season. And now he’s the latest addition to the 49ers WR room.”
Initially drafted into the NFL as a second-round pick back in 2018 out of Texas A&M, Kirk has largely deployed out of the slot at the NFL level, showing he can be an interior vertical threat, as his 12.5 yards-per-catch average clearly highlights. While his last two seasons have been underwhelming, with his 2024 campaign hampered by a broken collarbone that seemingly left him limited in 2025, Kirk has 106 games under his belt at the NFL level, and should be able to add some extra experience to a 49ers room that was largely unproven last fall once Brandon Aiyuk opted out of playing.
Will Kirk be able to unlock his game once more with Purdy throwing him the ball? Only time will tell, but at this stage of free agency, securing his services for $6 million is a good deal.
