The media has pushed the idea of the Atlanta Falcons trading Kyle Pitts all offseason, but it's never really made sense. The Falcons franchise tagged him not even two months ago, so while the idea of a tag-and-trade may seem feasible, if it didn't happen during the NFL Draft, I doubt it happens at all.
Atlanta has to agree to a long-term extension with the sixth-year tight end, but extensions with Bijan Robinson and Drake London will take priority. But that doesn't matter, since the Falcons appear willing to allow Pitts to play out the season on the franchise tag to see if he can repeat his 2025 production.
However, that didn't stop FanSided's Jake Beckman from pouring gasoline on this fire. While naming one trade target every NFL team should zero in on before the offseason ends, of course he listed Pitts. And the worst part is that he listed him as a guy the Kansas City Chiefs should try and acquire.
"We haven’t had a good tag-and-trade in a minute, but there’s a real opportunity for a good one here," Beckman wrote. "Trading for a guy like Kyle Pitts would not only give them a tight end of the future (Pitts is only 25 years old), but it would also give them another pass catcher this year."Â
The Falcons have no reason to send Kyle Pitts to the Kansas City Chiefs
The 25-year-old is one of the most important pieces of the Falcons' offensive nucleus. He's fresh off of a bounce-back season in which he came just short of 1,000 receiving yards, and he should thrive under Kevin Stefanski's tutelage, since his affinity for 12-personnel has made for one of the TE-friendliest systems in the NFL.
Atlanta's tight end room also isn't in a spot to move on from the Florida product. Behind Pitts, they have Austin Hooper, Charlie Woerner, and Joshua Simon. None of those players should inspire confidence as the TE1 in an offense, especially when the wide receiver room is relatively thin also.
Let's look at it from the Chiefs' perspective, as Berkman noted they haven't made a move for a pass-catcher all offseason. Rashee Rice is set to spend the next 30 days in jail, and is expected to be sidelined two months while he recovers from a recent knee surgery and is entering a contract year.
Meanwhile, future Hall of Fame TE Travis Kelce is 36 and has already started to show signs of slowing down. On paper, the All-Pro tight end could be his long-term successor in Kansas City, so bringing in Pitts makes sense. But what exactly does this accomplish for the Dirty Birds? I'll spell this one out for you: absolutely nothing.
Brett Veach can try and call, but there's no guarantee that Ian Cunningham would even pick up the phone. The only way this goes anywhere is if the Falcons are blown away by an offer, because otherwise, they are making their offense considerably worse without much of a real payoff to do so.
Cunningham has no incentive to trade him at this point, especially since he's set to be the NFL's highest-paid tight end in 2026. So Kyle Pitts may be a dream trade target for the Chiefs, but if Atlanta is smart, this idea will remain just that: a dream.
Add us as a preferred source on Google