The 2026 offseason was a big one for Kyle Pitts because it was time for the Atlanta Falcons to show the tight end how they felt about him. After finishing out the five years of his rookie contract, Atlanta had to decide if they were going to pay Pitts or let him move on to a team that would.
The Falcons decided to pay the tight end, signing him to a three-year deal worth $54 million. That commitment shows that Atlanta wanted to make sure Pitts remained a part of their talented young core, and also that the team sees him as one of the best tight ends in the league.
That feeling isn’t universal, though. Not everyone is convinced that Pitts deserved a contract the size of the one he signed. One of those detractors is ESPN analyst Seth Walder. In a recent piece, grading each team’s offseason, Walder gave Atlanta a B-, and named the extension of Pitts as the move he didn’t like.
Falcons face criticism for the size of Kyle Pitts’ extension
Walder emphasized that the contract isn’t bad for the best tight ends in football; his problem is that he doesn’t think Pitts is one of the top guys at his position. The analyst believes the young tight end will have to show more to justify his contract number.
Pitts is coming off the second-best season of his career, after his rookie year, so he could be trending in the right direction. In 2025, he played in all 17 games, catching 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns. That was only the second time in his career where he surpassed 700 receiving yards, with 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie being the other time.
In his first five seasons with the Falcons, playing 78 total games, Pitts recorded 284 receptions for 3,579 yards and 15 touchdowns. While he is entering year six, the tight end will only be turning 26 years old in October. He could take his game to another level while playing on this next contract, especially with Kevin Stefanski, a coach who has had success with tight ends, running the offense.
If that happens, Kyle Pitts will prove the Falcons right, showing that he is one of the best tight ends in the league, and critics will have to eat their words.
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