Another tragic news hit the bills as another highly commited player announce n emergency retirement because of…..
Christian Kirksey traveled to Buffalo as a practice squad member just prior to the season. After missing out on the Texans’ 53-man roster, the veteran linebacker gave signing with a contender priority. He does not intend to remain with the Bills, though.
Rather, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports that the veteran of ten years has informed the team that he intends to retire. Before moving to Buffalo, 31-year-old Kirksey played for the Browns, Packers, and Texans. The former third-round pick had started every season he had played in the previous nine seasons. Since then, Kirksey’s retirement plan has been disclosed by the Bills.
According to Garafolo, the Bills intend to re-sign A.J. Klein in order to take Kirksey’s place on the practice squad. During training camp, the intermittent Bills player was present with the team. Although Klein re-signed with the Bills in April, he was one of the experienced players who did not make the team’s 53-man roster for the August game. Since then, the eleven-year veteran has been able to choose his own terms.
Kirksey was a long-term starter for the struggling team after being selected by the Browns in what turned out to be an unforgettable draft for the group. The Browns performed admirably on Day 2 of the 2014 draft, following their selection of Johnny Manziel and Justin Gilbert, first-round busts. After selecting Iowa’s linebacker at No. 71 overall in Round 1, they added Joel Bitonio in Round 2 and Kirksey in Round 3. Bitonio has emerged as one of the Browns’ greatest players since the team’s 1999 rebirth, and Kirksey has started for the team for six years.
Following an injury that sidetracked him as the 2010s came to an end, Kirksey’s time after leaving Cleveland helped him to recover. Following his release by the Browns in 2020, Kirksey joined the Packers, where he started for a team that advanced to the NFC Championship Game. But Kirksey was also cut by the Packers, and as one of the many veterans to visit Houston on a temporary basis under Nick Caserio’s general managership, he joined the Texans. Kirksey played for the rebuilding Houston Astros for the previous two years, starting 29 games. He started all 17 games and recorded 124 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions after agreeing to a contract extension with the Texans in 2022.
Kirksey performed best for struggling teams, with the exception of his 2020 Green Bay cameo. The off-ball “backer” earned a four-year, $38MM extension during the 2017 offseason after recording a career-high 148 tackles (11 for loss) during the Browns’ 1-15 campaign in 2016. Despite having players like Bitonio, Kirksey, Joe Thomas, and well-paid ILB Jamie Collins on their roster, Cleveland went on to finish its second consecutive season with a record of 0-16. Kirksey never really came close to getting that kind of money again after the Browns cut bait on his contract when he had two years left on it. Kirksey will still leave the game with over $37 million in earnings.
Kirksey ends his career with 16.5 sacks and 45 tackles for loss, despite playing on defensive teams’ second levels and occasionally producing sacks. He had three seasons with more than 100 tackles.
