Kyle Pitts may never replicate his rookie season with the Atlanta Falcons.
But in 2025, he put together his best campaign since then. It was his fifth-year option season on his initial rookie contract with the Falcons, so now he's heading for free agency.
There's a bit of uncertainty about what will happen with Pitts. Do teams pay up for the potential, the pedigree and the occasional big game?
Or do they hold off a bit as they try to figure out why Pitts hasn't been more consistently excellent?
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The Falcons themselves also have to decide whether or not to keep Pitts.
ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, through conversations with league executives, predicts the Falcons will franchise tag Pitts and keep him around.
The franchise tag for tight ends is projected at $15.9 million, Fowler writes.
"The number is reasonable and is a good basis for a long-term deal for him," an AFC executive told Fowler. "Not sure what they do with Drake London but keeping Pitts seems like a good move at this stage."
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The Falcons have a new head coach, Kevin Stefanski. He was a fan of using tight ends as the offensive guru for the Cleveland Browns, including a lot of two-TE looks in 2025 with David Njoku and Harold Fannin Jr.
Stefanski probably is quite intrigued about the idea of using Pitts in a variety of ways, if the Falcons keep him around.
If the new head coach wants him in town, that'll probably be what happens.
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