Falcons: Has Kyle Pitts shown enough to be retained past this season?

The Falcons might be 3-6, but there are a lot of promising aspects to the team when looking ahead to the future.

The defense is full of young and hungry players, most of whom are under contract at affordable rates for several more years. Bijan Robinson is on the fast track to being the best running back in football, and Drake London has already entered the elite wide receiver conversation. With a few tweaks, some better luck, and some better coaching (which shouldn’t be hard to accomplish), the Falcons are a playoff contender in the NFC.

The biggest question mark moving forward is the quarterback position. Is Michael Penix the guy? I’m not sure anybody can answer that question right now one way or the other. After that, the future of Kyle Pitts does hang in the balance, who came in at #21 on ESPN’s list of top free agents set to test the open market this offseason.

What we’re hearing: Pitts hasn’t quite lived up to his pre-draft billing as an elite prospect. Injuries have been a factor. But some evaluators see him slowly coming back. “He looks good — running better than he has,” an AFC executive said. Pitts’ 45 receptions rank third among tight ends through Week 10. — Fowler

When Pitts broke into the league, it looked like he was on the fast track to becoming the top receiving tight end in the game. He caught for over 1,000 yards with Matt Ryan throwing him the football, but injuries and an inconsistent quarterback play have really hampered him since.

The former seems to have fallen by the wayside this season. Kyle Pitts looks as strong and fast as he has since that marvelous rookie campaign, leading to 45 catches for 420 yards and a score through the season’s first nine games. However, the quarterback play has only improved marginally. Michael Penix Jr. has been a bottom 10 signal caller in the league up to this point, and Zac Robinson has proven to be a miserable offensive coordinator, so it is fair to wonder what kind of numbers Pitts might put up in a more competent offense.

For those reasons, it would make a lot of sense for the Falcons to place a franchise tag on the former 4th overall pick this offseason. The franchise tag paid tight ends a hair under $14 million in 2025, so it would be about a $3 million raise for Pitts next season, giving the Falcons more time to evaluate, hopefully, under better circumstances.

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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire

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