Who Should I Start? Christian Kirk or Rashod Bateman

Saturday, April 4, 7:55 AM

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Christian Kirk will embark on the next chapter of his career in 2026. After spending time with the Cardinals, Jaguars, and Texans, Kirk is now headed to the 49ers on a one-year deal. He's currently projected as the No. 3 receiver behind Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall after the team watched Jauan Jennings and Kendrick Bourne depart in free agency. Kirk has produced a modest 55 catches, 618 yards, and two touchdowns across 21 games over the last two seasons. However, he showed that he's still capable of contributing at a high level with 144 yards in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs. Landing in San Francisco is a great fit for Kirk. In the No. 3 role last year, Bourne had 37 catches and 551 yards (but just seven catches and 91 yards in games where both Pearsall and Jennings were healthy). Kirk might not have standalone value as the No. 3 receiver, but both Evans and Pearsall have significant injury histories; they combined to miss 17 games just last season. Therefore, we wouldn't be surprised to see Kirk jump to No. 2 on the depth chart at various points next season, propelling him to the WR3/flex tier.