The Falcons are gearing up for training camp in a couple of weeks, but there’s still a looming contract extension that needs to be completed this offseason.
A.J. Terrell is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is clearly in need of a new deal. This shouldn’t be hard either. There are very few obvious long-term building blocks on the roster, and Atlanta’s All-Pro corner is one of them.
After making Chris Lindstrom the richest offensive guard in football last offseason, Terrell is in line for a similar kind of contract. Will he actually reset the cornerback market? I’m not quite sure, but I didn’t think Lindstrom would either.
The Falcons seem to be more worried about locking up their guys than pinch pennies, but it’s not Terrell that Bleacher Report’s believes will reset the market for his position. It’s Kyle Pitts.
“Pitts could easily eclipse 1,300 receiving yards and score double-digit touchdowns in a Pro Bowl-All-Pro campaign, which may be enough to help him earn a massive extension next offseason,” Moton writes.
The pundit’s contract projection for the Falcons star tight end is four years, $70 million with half of it guaranteed. For a guy who nearly broke Mike Ditka’s NFL record for most receiving yards by a rookie tight end, that would be a bargain. In that same breath, that same guy hasn’t sniffed the 1,026 yards he posted in his first year, so it could be thought of as an overpay.
With that being said, contract extensions aren’t a reward for past performance but rather an investment in what a team thinks a player will be in the future. Kirk Cousins gives Kyle Pitts the most reliable thrower since Matt Ryan in 2021, and the new Falcons quarterback’s resume with No. 1 receiving options should have Pitts salivating. I also didn’t even mention his health playing a factor.
Justin Jefferson won 2022 Offensive Player of the Year, leading the league in receptions (128) and receiving yards (1,809). Even if Drake London becomes Cousins’ top target, Jordan Addison and T.J. Hockenson proved to be among the best WR2s and TE1s in football.
If Kyle Pitts ends up doing what Falcons fans think he’s capable of in 2024, $17.5 million per season will be a bargain.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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