The Atlanta Falcons appear content to head into the 2026 season with tight end Kyle Pitts playing on a franchise tag. This point was driven home by an extension with Drake London, who came in a year after Pitts and yet was prioritized ahead of the star tight end. Atlanta's lack of urgency when it comes to extending the pass catcher shows just how little trust the organization has in Pitts, and this is understandable even after a great 2025 season.
Dating back to Matt Ryan's final season in Atlanta, there were moments when it appeared Pitts gave up on routes or slowed down when the play was still alive. While the tight end's rookie season was elite in terms of production, this was followed by three years of mediocrity and questions about the pass catcher's motor and whether or not the Falcons would be wise to risk an extension.
All of this set up last season's 928 receiving yards and five touchdowns, handing the tight end two great seasons and three that remained underwhelming. While you could point to the quarterback situation as the problem, this didn't stop Drake London from producing or Bijan Robinson from finding ways to contribute in the passing game.
Falcons Exposing Clear Lack of Trust in Kyle Pitts with Franchise Tag Decision
Atlanta has viable reasons for this lack of trust and appears ready to allow Pitts to play out the season. There is also the potential upside of having a valued trade chip if things go sideways ahead of this year's trade deadline. To put it simply, there really isn't a downside to making Pitts prove that last year's production wasn't an outlier but can be expected moving forward.
If things revert to the previous seasons, you've spared yourself a mistake of a contract, while a great season isn't likely to drastically alter the price, with the tight end market remaining affordable. The only possible risk is having Pitts decide to walk away to a winning situation after playing his first six seasons with a team that has yet to have a winning record during his tenure.
Still, this is a very small risk to take in favor of handing out an extension you could potentially regret. The Falcons are playing this the right way and in the process, sending a clear message to the pass catcher about what must happen to lock up an extension and prove he is a franchise-building block moving forward.
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