NFL free agency is about impact and fit.
There are players and teams you just know. Everyone knows, even ones not affiliated with the franchise. You just know in your gut your team will target and sign this specific player … at least you hope.
Then there’s that next crop of free agents and players, where they would be nice pieces, but the impact isn’t as great as the first crop. There is a skosh of doubt for both fit and impact.
One such potential free agent is receiver Christian Kirk. His name doesn’t jump off the page or even immediately come to mind when you think about the Denver Broncos. Still, Kirk could become a player George Paton and Sean Payton turn to, depending on how things play out in a few weeks.
Player Profile
Height: 5-11
Weight: 200 pounds
Experience: 7 NFL seasons
Age: 29
2025 stats: 28 receptions, 238 yards, 1 touchdown catch
Why the Broncos should sign receiver Christian Kirk
When Kirk is on, he has an immediate impact on an offense. He has deep-threat, big-play potential.
We saw that in his two best seasons, 2021 and 2022, with the Arizona Cardinals and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kirk finished the 2021 season with 77 catches for 982 yards and five touchdowns. In 2022, Kirk had his best season, recording 84 receptions for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns.
If that’s the Kirk the Broncos get if they sign him, he changes the offense. He allows Payton and Bo Nix to stretch the defense and add the vertical threat this offense lacks.
He’s also a veteran who brings leadership to the receiver room that is still quite young, minus Courtland Sutton, of course.
The problem is that “if” is a massive one for Kirk. There’s no doubt when he’s on, like those two seasons show, he’s really good. You just don’t know if that’s what you’re going to get if you sign him.
Why the Broncos shouldn’t sign receiver Christian Kirk
Denver just doesn’t know what it’s going to get if it signs Kirk. Will it get the Kirk of those two seasons with the Cardinals and Jaguars? Or will the Broncos get the Kirk from the last two seasons he played with the Jaguars and Houston Texans?
That uncertainty alone is enough for Denver to pass.
Add in the question of fit, and this type of move just doesn’t make sense for the Broncos. Yes, a veteran receiver could benefit the room, but he would take reps away from Troy Franklin, Marvin Mims, and Pat Bryant. He also doesn’t move the needle that much over what Denver currently has.
Final thoughts
Whether Kirk stays with the Houston Texans or hits free agency, it’s unlikely the Broncos will take a serious look at the receiver.
The fit isn’t really there, plus the lack of certainty and guarantee on what you’re actually going to get leaves enough doubt to know this isn’t the move. And that’s before you consider the price tag.