Now that the NFLs franchise tag window is officially open, the Atlanta Falcons have a major decision on their hands: will they place the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts? As of now, the current belief is that they will, but they have nearly two weeks to decide before that window closes and he will hit free agency.
In Ian Cunningham's first major decision as general manager, the Falcons finally put matters to bed on the Pitts front. They announced they will be placing the franchise tag on him, which was the decision most of the fanbase has been waiting for (and has wanted to see) for the majority of this offseason.
The #Falcons are planning to franchise tag standout TE Kyle Pitts, sources say, keeping their playmaker in the fold on a 1-year, fully guaranteed deal worth more than $15M.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 23, 2026
The hope is to work out a long-term deal rather than the tag. The two sides have until July to do it. pic.twitter.com/dwtlUbKxz7
On the franchise tag, the 25-year-old will make $16.3 million in 2026, which will keep him under contract for another year while also buying Cunningham time to agree to a long-term extension with his star tight end after a bounce-back year-- but not all Falcons fans are convinced he'll keep this up.
The Falcons' decision to franchise tag Kyle Pitts could blow up in their face if they don't extend him
There's a chance they consider tagging and trading him like the Cowboys may do with George Pickens, but it's not super likely. Aside from Drake London and Bijan Robinson, Pitts is one of the only star pass-catchers the Dirty Birds have, and some would argue he's Atlanta's WR2 behind London.
The Florida product has a really strong rapport with Michael Penix Jr., and given how Kevin Stefanski's offensive system utilizes tight ends, they would be better suited signing him to an extension. But at the very least, the franchise tag will give us a glimpse of how he will fare under another new regime.
The former top-five pick was heralded as a generational tight end coming out of college, and finally looked like the player Falcons fans were expecting to see for the first time since his rookie season. A matchup nightmare like Pitts isn't someone you let walk, so this is the right move from Cunningham.
That $16.3 million price tag is awfully similar to what he would make on a new extension, so while the market could change a lot in the coming months, he could get more expensive to retain. Pitts was never going to come cheap, so now that he's been tagged, they better not cheap out on a new deal.