Despite Kyle Pitts' late-season emergence, near 1,000-yard receiving season, and second-team All-Pro nomination, the Atlanta Falcons must move on from him. Unless franchise tagged, Pitts is officially a free agent for the first time in his career once the 2026 league year opens up on March 11.
After an elite rookie campaign, Pitts severely struggled for three seasons before turning in a fantastic 2026 season. On Saturday, his elite season was capped with second-team All-Pro honors, his first career nomination.
In 2025, Pitts caught a career high 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns, also a career high. The bulk of his production came between Week 13-16, when star receiver Drake London was injured. Through that month, Pitts recorded 395 yards and four touchdowns.
He finally proved he can be an elite weapon, but only if treated as the no. 1 option. His late-season heroics aided the Falcons' four-game win streak to seal the season, and significantly boosted his contract expectations.
Kyle Pitts priced himself out of Atlanta, and fans should be ecstatic
The All-Pro nomination will certainly boost his value entering free agency. The Falcons severely lack playmakers, so the logical reasoning would be to retain or franchise tag Pitts, but that would be a mistake.
Precedent is king in these situations, and we have plenty of it. To begin December, former All-Pro and three-time Pro-Bowl tight end Mark Andrews received a three-year $39 million extension to stay in Baltimore.
Andrews has seen age and injuries catch up to him over the last few seasons, and hasn't produced at his normal elite level in years. Despite this, he will be paid an average of $13 million per year well into his thirties.
After a breakout 2024 campaign, the Cardinals' elite tight end, Trey McBride, received a monstrous $19 million AAV contract over four seasons, which propelled him to the second-highest AAV for the position.
My estimation is that Pitts will land somewhere in the middle this free agency, and he's not worth it. Falcon fans watched him struggle week in and week out for three-and-a-half seasons after his Pro Bowl rookie campaign.
His atrocious 36 yards per game over four quarterbacks, two different head coaches, two offensive coordinators and three seasons is the real precedent fans should gauge. Pitts was presented with every opportunity to thrive amidst a pitiful supporting cast for years and never did, until he was the only option.
Sure, his exciting four-game stretch was one for the record books, but that shouldn't change history. For years, fans were disappointed in the 2021 fourth overall pick, and rightfully so.
His nomination is exciting and well deserved, but his time in Atlanta must end. Whoever Matt Ryan winds up hiring to lead the team into the future must understand their history and be urged to move on from this disastrous pick immediately.