The Atlanta Falcons are entering a very interesting offseason. They have their head coach, as Kevin Stefanski is officially taking over the reins in Atlanta. They also need to make difficult roster decisions with one of those surrounding tight end and former first-round pick Kyle Pitts.
The Falcons spent the fourth overall pick on Pitts in the 2021 NFL Draft after he was an absolute stud during his time at Florida. It felt like a can't-miss pick but that hasn't been the case. Pitts had over 1,000 yards receiving as a rookie but hasn't hit that mark since.
He did have an improved 2025 season, tallying 928 receiving yards and a career-high five touchdowns but his future with the franchise that drafted him is certainly up in the air. Pitts is set to be a free agent in March and Stefanski was asked about Pitts during his introductory press conference. His comments didn't inspire confidence that Atlanta is hellbent on keeping Pitts in the red and black.
"Kyle is somebody that we'll talk at length more about when it comes to those types of roster conversations," Stefanski said. "But the position itself is something that we feel very strongly about."
Kyle Pitts faces uncomfortable reality after Kevin Stefanski quote
Stefanski's words didn't sound like a guy who was itching to get Pitts back for the 2026 season. That being said, there aren't many available tight ends in free agency so unless the Falcons want to try and add a tight end early in the draft, bringing Pitts back might be their best bet at tight end this year.
The Falcons could slap the franchise tag on Pitts, which would be worth roughly $15 million and would keep him in Atlanta for another year. That gives them another year to figure out what they want to do at the position moving forward but would still allow them to retain Pitts.
The Pitts situation will be something for Falcons fans to monitor and we'll see if he ends up remaining with the team that spent a top-five pick on him or if Atlanta opts to move on from him this spring.