The Houston Texans have made some head-scratching trades during free agency. Their first surprising move was trading their best offensive lineman, Laremy Tunsil, to the Washington Commanders for a third-round and seventh-round pick. Then, they traded Kenyon Green to the Philadelphia Eagles for C.J. Gardner-Johnson and a 2026 sixth-round pick.
While the Texans have signed replacements in Cam Robinson and Laken Tomlinson, an argument can be made the line is worse off without Tunsil. That said, surrounding quarterback C.J. Stroud with reliable weapons is still of the utmost importance. Last offseason, Houston traded for veteran wide receiver Stefon Diggs, who had one more year left on his contract.
Unfortunately, Diggs suffered a torn ACL in Week 8 and missed the rest of the season. Heading into the offseason, the Texans opted not to re-sign Diggs, meaning he would enter free agency for the first time in his career. On Tuesday, Diggs signed a three-year $69 million deal with the New England Patriots, according to Adam Schefter.
ESPN Sources: Free-agent WR Stefon Diggs reached agreement on a three-year, $69 million deal including $26 million guaranteed with the New England Patriots. pic.twitter.com/jz9R3t4MQZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 25, 2025
Houston knew a Diggs return was unlikely, which is why they went out and signed veteran Christian Kirk. The 28-year-old is now tasked with coming to Houston and quickly becoming a factor in the offense.
Christian Kirk Must Step Up for the Texans in 2025
Similar to Diggs, Kirk is coming off a season-ending injury in 2024. Last year, Kirk suffered a broken collarbone in Week 8. Prior to that injury, Kirk recorded 27 receptions on 47 targets for 379 yards and one touchdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Last season marked the second year in a row that Kirk missed time due to an injury. In 2023, the 28-year-old suffered a groin tear, causing him to miss the final five games of the season. Despite the injury, he finished the season with 57 receptions on 85 targets for 787 yards and three touchdowns.
The best year of Kirk's career came in 2022, his first season with Jacksonville. In 2022, Kirk recorded 84 receptions on 133 targets for 1,108 yards and eight touchdowns. His productive 2022 season backed up the Jaguars, giving him the contract they did that offseason.
Even though Kirk won't be asked to be Houston's main target, he still must be as productive with the ball in his hands as he was in 2023. At the very least, Kirk needs to put up numbers similar to Diggs' before he got injured, especially given the status of Tank Dell.