Through all of the turmoil with the franchise tag, it didn't stop the Atlanta Falcons getting a deal done with Kyle Pitts just in the nick of time. They signed Pitts to a three-year, $54 million contract extension and his $18 million average annual value will make him the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL.
Amid what I'm calling "extension fever" in Atlanta, Ian Cunningham did what he needed to do. He beat the buzzer on the July 15 extension deadline and locked up a key piece of this offense for three more years. And they don't have to risk him playing out the season on the tag and asking for even more.
Some people might be labeling it an overpay, or not worth the money, but the fact of the matter is that it doesn't matter. The league salary cap increases considerably every year, and in two years (if that), this contract will have aged like fine wine once Brock Bowers earns himself a new contract.
Hating on the Kyle Pitts contract extension doesn't make much sense
Falcons fans got themselves incredibly excited about the Cunningham hire, but have dunked on many of his decisions before we've had a chance to see them play out. The Pitts extension is no different, but this new regime is right in choosing to believe the 25-year-old turned a corner at the end of 2025.
Cunningham and the Dirty Birds brought in Howie Roseman's cap guy Jeff Scott to be their new assistant GM, and that's already paying off. Instead of paying Pitts $15 million on the tag this year and $18 million next year, they're paying him just $3 million more by signing him to a contract extension.
And the new extension will be in place of the franchise tag. His deal comes with $36 million in fully guaranteed, which basically means the first two years of his deal are fully guaranteed just like they would've been on the tag, while the final year of his contract doesn't come with financial constraints.
The $18 million a year price tag feels steep to some, but it's not like Pitts is under contract through 2030 like Drake London is. A three-year deal is a pretty short contract all things considered. He got a shorter deal than Darnell Washington did in Pittsburgh. The short length was a strategic choice.
When the Falcons hired Ian Cunningham, he made it clear that his philosophy is to draft, develop, and retain elite talent. He put his money where his mouth is (quite literally) with London, just did so with Pitts, and likely isn't even done shelling out money to offensive stars since Bijan Robinson is next.
Kyle Pitts is one of the NFL's more divisive players, but he still has the fourth-most TE receiving yards in the NFL since entering the league in 2021. Since the Falcons are betting on who he can become, they made sure to strategically maneuver this into a deal that can age beautifullly.
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