Grading the signing: 49ers have rebuilt their wide receiver room in less than a week following latest free agent addition
The 49ers have rebuilt their WR room from the ground up. But was their latest move a good one? Let’s grade it.
A week ago, the San Francisco 49ers WR room consisted of Ricky Pearsall and a whole lot of WR 3s and 4’s on the roster. Then came the bombshell move to acquire future Hall of Fame talent Mike Evans, and suddenly Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense were armed with a fantastic 1-2 punch on the perimeter of the offense.
But the more weapons, the merrier when it comes to the NFL, and that much was proven by the 49ers on Monday.
49ers sign Christian Kirk to a one-year deal worth $6 million
After a four-year stint in Arizona, Kirk blew away many when he signed a lucrative deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent in 2022, putting pen to paper for an average of $18 million annually and a total value of $84 million.
However, after an up-and-down tenure in Jacksonville that included multiple trade rumors before an injury, he was traded last March to the Houston Texans before his $24.4 million cap hit triggered in Jacksonville.
Playing in 13 games but making only three starts for Houston in 2025, Kirk recorded 28 receptions for 239 yards and one touchdown. That may not sound like a lot or produce a ton of excitement, but it doesn’t have to.
Final Grade: B
The 49ers are signing Kirk to be their WR No.3. He’s there simply to be an upgrade over Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and others. He will be the fourth receiving threat when George Kittle returns to health, after Evans and Pearsall, of course.
Because of that, this signing is worthy of an above-average grade. The 49ers are signing him for a third of his average annual salary in Jacksonville and they are only tied to him through the 2026 season. It’s another win-now move that makes perfect sense for San Francisco.
