The Atlanta Falcons kicked off their organized team activities (OTAs) this week without having resolved the two biggest questions surrounding the team. The futures of Kirk Cousins and Kyle Pitts remain uncertain, and it's difficult to know what the Falcons' top brass is thinking when it comes to these two high-profile names.
While Atlanta's reluctance to move Cousins is understandable, due to the lack of incentives, their approach to the Pitts trade talks is difficult to comprehend.
On Friday, it was reported that teams have been calling the Falcons about the former first-round pick's availability. Although Atlanta has reportedly been listening to offers, the franchise's demands for "at least a Day 2 pick" trade hints that the front office would likely prefer to keep Pitts unless an offer is too good to turn down.
That is certainly mixed messaging, to say the least.
Falcons Are Fumbling Kyle Pitts' Trade Value as Rumors Swirl
The Pitts saga took an even weirder turn when ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Saturday morning that the Falcons aren't "aggressively shopping" him, but are open to trading him.
This kind of approach is the worst of both worlds for the Falcons. It's hard to imagine this is an ideal situation for Pitts, who hasn't participated in OTAs due to an injury so far. He isn't getting a contract extension or an indication that the Falcons want him in Atlanta. Yet, at the same time, they aren't shopping him around, creating a limbo situation.
"If Atlanta gets the right kind of deal for Kyle Pitts, it very well could come together. I don't think it's a situation where they're aggressively shopping him, but it appears talking to some other teams, they think Atlanta is at least open to the possibility, and Pitts might be as well. I'm told, he loves Atlanta. This is not a situation where he's requesting a trade, but if he has a chance to go to maybe a better offense where he's more featured... It could be something that he's open to."Jeremy Fowler, ESPN
This also makes getting the appropriate value in return for Pitts more difficult. The Falcons must get a bidding war going for Pitts if they want the best possible return. If they aren't actively shopping him, they'll likely continue to receive underwhelming offers.
It looks like Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot is trying to strike the right balance of not alienating Pitts while trying to get a home run deal. As uncomfortable as it may sound, the Falcons need to make a decision on Pitts and stick with it.
Otherwise, this is headed towards a lose-lose situation both for the organization and the player.