Kyle Pitts just accomplished a Falcons feat that even Tony Gonzalez never could

Kyle Pitts continued to prove he is worthy of another contract with the Atlanta Falcons with a dominant Week 16 performance. He wasn't as flashy as his previous 166-yard, three-touchdown performance, but he got the job done.

The fifth-year tight end broke another franchise record and will have fans clamoring for his return to Atlanta in 2026.

This historic four-game stretch has produced the most TE receiving yards, 395, over four games in franchise history. This is shocking, not just because it's Pitts breaking this record, but the Falcons have boasted many phenomenal tight ends over the years.

The great Hall-of-Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez once donned red and black in Atlanta from 2009-2013, and played in four bowl games through his Falcons career. The great tight end never had a four-game stretch with the Falcons quite like this.

The Falcons' sixth all-time leader in receiving yards, Jim Mitchell, played 10 seasons with the Falcons from 1969 to 1979 and never accomplished this feat. This elite end-of-season production begs the question of the offseason... should the Falcons resign Pitts?

Kyle Pitts once again proved he's worthy of a second contract in Atlanta

In case this wasn't obvious enough, YES! Pitts has proven successful when schemed well in the offense, but he's never gotten the opportunity until now. You don't have to play fantasy football to know Pitts was a major disappointment through the first four and a half seasons of his career.

After an elite rookie campaign with over 1,000 yards, Pitts' production and usage fell off a cliff, and he disappeared into the abyss. Finally, once Drake London was injured, and Atlanta had no one to turn to, Pitts stepped up and dominated the target share. He received almost 10 targets per game and took advantage of it all.

Through the first dozen games this season, Pitts averaged roughly five targets per game. His increased usage has turned into elite production just when the team needed it most. The Falcons' receiving core has been completely decimated this season, and Pitts was desperately needed.

At times, the Falcons have used two to three different undrafted free agent receivers to fill gaps and share targets with London injured and Darnell Mooney underperforming. This receiver room likely won't get much better over the offseason, unless the Falcons sign a big-name free agent or get lucky in the draft.

Outside of a couple of big-game aging receivers, the upcoming free agent class is not one to be excited about. Not the receiver position, at least. Pitts has finally proven he can be a strong tight end, and he needs to be paid like it. I'm not saying to forget about the previous 4.5 seasons, of course not.

But the Falcons desperately need playmakers, and Pitts has played like he wants to remain in Atlanta long-term.