The Atlanta Falcons made a bit of a surprise decision this week, signing Kyle Pitts to a three-year, $54 million contract extension. The tight end was on an expiring contract at the end of the 2025 season, forcing the front office to exercise a franchise option that gave Pitts another year to earn an extension. Clearly, Atlanta's decision-makers believe in the ceiling of the tight end and opted to take away the risk that, after the 2026 season, free agency results in a new landing spot.
With that said, the extension carries an obvious level of risk as Pitts has been in the league for five years and produced two great seasons. Two years have been extremely underwhelming, and the fifth was shortened by a season-ending injury. It isn't a great success rate, and a lot of this can be pointed to concerns at the quarterback position as well as Pitts at times failing to play through the whistle.
Turning on the tape, Pitts leaps off the screen, having an elite catch radius and a surprising route-running ability for a player of his size. Still, throughout the five seasons of Kyle's career, you can find no shortage of plays where the tight end motors down before a play is truly over.
Falcons Taking Obvious Risk Betting on Inconsistent Tight End Kyle Pitts
Turning the clock all the way back to Matt Ryan's final season with the Falcons, you can see even in the rookie's great debut, this popped up more than once. Pitts needs to show a consistent level of physicality and willingness to finish plays, no matter the score or what the situation might be. While some could point to the lack of targets and poor quarterback play as factors in this, the best players don't let this change their motor.
Pitts is now being paid like one of these players ranking among the top four at the position in annual value. This leaves no question that the expectations are high for the tight end, and the Falcons are trusting the quarterback and coaching changes will garner the best possible results.
Still, there is no denying the risk of paying a player who has been as inconsistent as Pitts. Bijan Robinson and Drake London have both played with the same limited quarterbacks and found ways to create consistent plays. Neither playmaker showed any signs of slowing down or lessening their level of intensity, no matter the situation.
Pitts must become this player in the 2026 season, or the Falcons are going to remember why they let negotiations drag on so long. It is a risk that fans can only hope ages in their favor with Pitts finally showing a level of consistency.
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