SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Christian Kirk is joining the 49ers’ wide receiver corps, following last week’s lead of fellow Texas A&M product Mike Evans.

Go back even further in Kirk’s career and there’s an even cooler connection with his new team: both he and quarterback Brock Purdy were Arizona high school stars, although Purdy trailed by a few years.

“I went to your junior or senior year state championship game at (Arizona) and you went crazy with like six touchdowns in the first half. So it’s an honor to be on the same field as you, especially being from Arizona,” Purdy told Kirk upon meeting him after the 49ers’ 2023 win in Jacksonville.

Kirk agreed Monday to a one-year, $6 million contract, a league source confirmed.

With Jauan Jennings still languishing in free agency and Brandon Aiyuk eventually getting ushered out the door, the 49ers brought in another veteran wide receiver to bolster a unit now led by Evans, who last week left Tampa Bay for a three-year deal that essentially boils down to a one-year, $14.3 million commitment.

Ricky Pearsall, Demarcus Robinson, Jacob Cowing, and Jordan Watkins round out the projected keepers at wide receiver for this coming season, although a speedy rookie could arrive via next month’s draft to challenge as the 49ers also need a new return specialist.

Kirk, who turns 30 in November, has played for three teams the past eight seasons: the Arizona Cardinals (2018-21), the Jacksonville Jaguars (2022-24) and the Houston Texans last season. Kirk has 432 career receptions for 5,415 yards and 30 touchdowns, but only one each of the past two regular seasons.

Kirk started his Texas A&M career in 2015, two years after Evans embarked on becoming the Bucs’ all-time leading receiver.

His Texans tenure ended with a strong playoff showing: 144 yards and a touchdown in their wild-card win at Pittsburgh, then another touchdown the next week in a divisional-round loss at New England. His previous 100-yard game was back in 2023, against the 49ers as the Jaguars fell 34-3 at home.

Kirk, like so many other 49ers, does come with health concerns. He missed the second half of the 2024 season with a fractured collarbone. Hamstring, groin, ankle and foot injuries have also cost him games.

He’s a logical addition to a veteran-laden offense around quarterback Brock Purdy and otherwise led by running back Christian McCaffrey. Kirk’s deal was first reported by veteran NFL reporter Jordan Schultz.

The 49ers have also shored up their special teams this offseason, and their latest move is to replace punter Thomas Moorstead with Corliss Waitman, a left-footer who spent the past two seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers and averaged close to 42 net yards per punt with 42% inside the 20-yard line.

_____

©2026 MediaNews Group, Inc. Visit at mercurynews.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.