With every passing day, the stakes grow even higher in Atlanta. After the NFL's franchise tag window opened on Tuesday, one of the league's biggest questions is about the age-old dilemma: will the Atlanta Falcons exercise the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts, or will they risk letting him reach free agency?
It's the first major decision Ian Cunningham will have to make as the Falcons' new general manager, and the clock is ticking. The major offseason date to watch is March 3rd at 4:00 p.m. ET, which is when the franchise tag window closes and we will have more clarity on Pitts' long-term fate.
This means that Cunningham and Atlanta's new front office have just under two weeks to decide if they want to tag (or potentially tag and trade) Pitts, and if they choose the former, it'll buy the Dirty Birds some extra time to agree to a long-term extension with him, which both sides should want.
Just because the Falcons have time to make a decision on Kyle Pitts' future doesn't mean they should use all of it
Time is of the essence for the Falcons, which is because the 25-year-old will easily cash in if they do allow him to test the market. But that also comes with the risk of losing him, so if the first-year GM really wants to keep Pitts, he'll try to get a deal done before free agency starts to not risk that scary possibility.
The Florida product has disappointed at points early in his stint in Atlanta to the point that many Falcons fans are skeptical about offering him an extension. He'll make $16.3 million on the franchise tag, but will likely land between $13 and $15 million per season on a new deal, so the choice is clear.
However, the longer they wait, the more leverage they lose. For as much importance that Pitts would hold in Kevin Stefanski's system, Cuningham obviously won't overpay to keep him. An extension should be the goal for both parties, but Stefanski can get strong TE production out of almost anyone.
The Falcons also have to agree to extensions with Bijan Robinson and Drake London, so breaking the bank for a tight end who looked like a draft bust before this season is a controversial choice. It's not like Cunningham has unlimited cap space to work with, so he may have to choose his deals wisely.
They're expected to franchise tag him, but nothing has been overtly confirmed yet, so Falcons fans better keep the afternoon of March 3rd in the back of their mind while the rest of this Pitts saga plays out.