Kyle

Pitts

The Athletic’s Josh Kendall answered a mailbag question about this by simply saying “whether or not they listen is another question” and noting that Kevin Stefanski sounded “very much like he wanted to coach Pitts for a year.” So the open question on both sides is whether the Falcons would actually be willing to hear out an offer. It’s possible the Falcons get an offer they can’t refuse, but it sounds like based on the reporting the Falcons are more likely to sit tight on Pitts through his franchise tag.

The Falcons officially placed the franchise tag on Pitts on Tuesday. While the two sides could still come to terms on a long-term deal to keep Pitts in Atlanta beyond next season, Kendall says “the vibe Atlanta is giving when it comes to Pitts” suggests a new deal is unlikely. Pitts caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns last season, turning in what was arguably the best year of his five-year career. Still only 25 years old, it’s fair to assume the Falcons will want to keep Pitts under contract for years to come if he can replicate that success again next season. That said, with a new regime in place and head coach Kevin Stefanski still getting a sense of what he can do with his roster, it’s understandable if the team would prefer to see how Pitts performs in 2026 before making any long-term commitments.

That’s a one-year, $16.3 million contract for Pitts assuming he does not sign an extension off the tag. There have been worse fates. It’s fair to wonder if the Falcons will emphasize Pitts earlier in the pecking order as he carried a very high aDOT (7.2) for a player who garnered over 100 targets last season. Kevin Stefanski had Harold Fannin down at 5.9 in a screen-heavy attack in Cleveland last year. It’s possible Pitts could be a post-post-post-post-hype sleeper this season.

According to Rapoport, the plan “is to work out a long-term deal” rather than force Pitts to play on the tag. If he does play on the tag, the veteran tight end would receive a guaranteed $15 million next season. Pitts had his best season as a pro in 2025, posting career-highs in receptions (88) and receiving touchdowns (5) while also totaling 928 receiving yards. The 25-year-old playmaker struggled to live up to the lofty expectations he set as a rookie in 2021 when he went for 68-1026-1, but his breakout performance last season made him a player the new regime hopes to hang out to for the foreseeable future. Pitts and the Falcons now have until July to hammer out a new contract before playing on the tag becomes a real possibility.

Kendall notes that he believes Pitts is “likely to remain in Atlanta” either way, but that with the new executives and head coaches mostly not commenting on him, it would give everyone a year involved to see how good Pitts can be in Kevin Stefanski’s offense. The franchise tag for tight ends is not exorbitant, and Kendall notes that Pitts’ agent would likely ask for at least the tag (a little over $16.3 million) in average annual value anyway.

The resurgent 25-year-old ended up finishing 72 yards shy of his first 1,000-yard campaign since his rookie year in 2021, but still heads into the offseason with the second most yards of his career (928) by a whopping 261. Much of Pitts’ production came after Michael Penix Jr.'s injury and while Drake London was sidelined, but things had gotten to the point where it seemed as if no circumstance could again coax high-end production out of the former No. 4 overall pick. Now he has all but guaranteed a massive free agent payday if he can avoid the franchise tag from the Falcons. That is no sure thing, as the Falcons may view the one-year commitment at the relatively lightly paid position as worth it following Pitts’ career turnaround. He is set to be one of the most fascinating players of the offseason.

He was limited in practice for most of the week, but Raheem Morris said he was expected to play. Pitts is a mid-range TE1 given a dearth of options this week, but don’t expect Tampa Bay on Thursday night in Week 18 against the Saints.

Pitts sees a second-straight limited session to open the week. He’s still in line to play in Week 18 and should remain on the TE1 line, but expectations should not be “Buccaneers on Thursday Night” level high for Pitts given how often he’s appeared on the report with this injury listing the last few weeks.

The Falcons regularly limited Pitts’ practice reps as he works through a knee issue, though it has not impacted his availability on game day. The Falcons’ star tight end should be good to go as a high-end TE1 against the Saints this week. Both teams have been eliminated from playoff contention.

The entire pass game was a complete afterthought as the Falcons built a 21-0 lead in the first half, with Pitts targeted on three of only 20 Kirk Cousins pass attempts. It was an unfortunate ending to a magical fantasy playoffs run for the veteran tight end, duping fantasy managers when it mattered most. Pitts is set to finish his 2025 regular season against the surging Saints in Week 18.