Kyle Pitts' future with the Atlanta Falcons is in serious doubt after playing the final year of his rookie deal, and having a bounce-back year while doing so. The Falcons may look to extend him or franchise tag him, but it would be expensive either way.
With Drake London and Bijan Robinson deals needing to get done as soon as possible, Pitts would be the odd man out. Then comes the question of who signs him? Well, the prediction from Greg Ausman of Fox Sports is one that no Dirty Birds fan will want to hear: he has Pitts landing in New England.
Seeing the former fourth-overall pick ditch the Falcons for the team that ripped their hearts out in the Super Bowl nearly a decade ago would be heartbreaking.
The Patriots are the perfect choice for Kyle Pitts... even if Falcons fans don't like it
While we may hate the choice, you cannot deny it would be the best choice for his career.
Pitts would be joining the reigning AFC Champions, who are equipped with enough talent to end up right back in the Super Bowl next year. For a player who has never played in a playoff game, that sounds appetizing, and so should catching passes from the MVP runner-up, Drake Maye.
The Patriots are also a tight end-friendly offense with Josh McDaniels calling plays. The experienced offensive coordinator worked with future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski for many seasons and would have no problem utilizing Pitts' unique talents.
New England used Hunter Henry and ex-Falcon Austin Hooper (who will be a free agent) in the passing game as they combined for 81 receptions for 1,031 yards and nine touchdowns.
Signing Pitts might be excessive considering Henry finished second on the team in receiving yards, but the Patriots' offense needs a weapon who can take over in the passing game -- something they learned in Super Bowl LX.
Pitts showed this year that he can be a top three tight end who can dominate a game. His size-speed combo is something Mike Vrabel's team lacks.
While Spotrac's market projection sits at four-years, $43.3 million ($10.8M AAV) for Pitts, the tight end is bound to be closer to the $20M per year mark. Teams are willing to overpay for a player with his skill set.
Unfortunately for the Patriots, and fortunately for Falcons fans, they likely won't have a shot at landing him. The Dirty Birds are primed to franchise tag him for just under $17 million and then possibly negotiate a long-term deal.
Whatever the outcome, no one wants to see the Florida product end up with the Patriots (or any NFC South team) a month from now.