Among the number of critical decisions the Falcons have to make this offseason, the future of Kyle Pitts feels up in the air. He’s entering the final year of his rookie contract, a fifth-year option that’s set to pay him nearly $11 million. That salary is fully guaranteed, so an outright release is not on the table, but the Falcons could fully relieve themselves of that salary and get some draft capital back in a trade, which has to be considered given Atlanta’s standing with the salary cap.
Kyle Pitts’ production over the last three seasons isn’t worth $11 million. The Falcons could find a tight end to catch 50 balls for 600 yards at a fraction of the price. However, admitting you were wrong is never easy for anybody. Terry Fontenot drafted Pitts fourth overall four years ago, making him the highest-drafted tight end ever, and while he’s been in the league for a decent bit of time, he’s still only 24 years old.
Beyond that, there’s no question the Falcons quarterback situation over the last several seasons has not done Kyle Pitts any favors. It’s been a revolving door under center ever since Matt Ryan was traded to the Colts ahead of the 2022 season. Now, Atlanta feels like they’ve found their franchise quarterback in Michael Penix Jr., who could be the key to unlocking the potential Pitts flashed as a rookie on the way to the Pro Bowl.
That connection could revive Pitts’ career, and Penix is fully committed to developing that chemistry throughout the offseason.
“For him, it’s believing in himself, and for me, I’m going to believe in him,” Penix said on PFT Live with Mike Florio and Chris Simms. “He knows that. I just talked to him the other day, and we just talked about some of the things that we want to do and it’s like, ‘All right, I’m going to give you my all each and every day, and I want you to do the same.’ Once we do that, our connection is going to continue to build. Just getting those full-speed reps, getting those reps together in practice, feeling comfortable with the game plan. Obviously, it’s different when you can scheme somebody up to get open based on game plan and stuff like that. It could be some of that as well, too. At the end of the day, whenever he’s open, I’ve got to find him and get him the ball, and I know he’ll make big-time plays whenever it’s in his hands.”
Kyle Pitts actually caught the first touchdown pass of Michael Penix’s career, a bullet on a critical fourth down into a tight window that helped send a must-win game against the Washington Commanders into overtime. Those are the kind of plays the Falcons expected weekly from Pitts when he was drafted. Unfortunately, for every one of those, there have been several terrible ones, some of which stem from a lack of effort.
That’s downright inexcusable, and the Falcons have every right to be done with Pitts because of it. Nobody should bat an eye if they decide to trade him this offseason. However, if he’s truly committed to the work it’s going to take with Penix to be a weapon in year five, it’s also understandable if the Falcons want to roll the dice and see if Pitts can conjure up some of the magic that made him a rising star as a rookie.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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