It's that time in the summer. Everyone and their mother is getting extensions in the NFL world right now. Drake London just got a major extension from the Atlanta Falcons and Bijan Robinson will soon, but the question on everyone's mind is if Atlanta will be done spending on offense after these two.
It remains to be seen if the Falcons are willing to pay Kyle Pitts like they did London and will Bijan. He'll command top-of-market money at the tight end position, and while he had a career year in 2025, his past inconsistency makes paying him a pretty big gamble, even though they have the money for it.
Since they appear willing to let things play out on the franchise tag, Falcons haven't been sending that many messages to Pitts about a possible extension, but other teams are. The Pittsburgh Steelers have been signing some of their players to an extension, which includes another TE.
The Steelers' extension with Darnell Washington is bad news for Kyle Pitts
The Steelers signed Darnell Washington to a four-year, $42 million contract extension, and that's bound to raise the price tag for the 25-year-old. If Washington is the NFL's 12th-highest paid tight end and is making $10.5 million a year, there's no telling what Pitts will command on a new deal now.
I didn't know we handed out extensions based on being friends with Aaron Rodgers. Other than his monstrous 6-foot-7, 311-pound frame, Washington has mostly a non-factor in his career. Pitts had almost twice as many receptions in 2025 (88) as Washington does in his career (57), and nearly tripled his 2025 yardage total.
He did have a career year in 2025, but is still a backup tight end. That's a lot of money for a TE2. Meanwhile, Pitts is set to be the league's highest-paid tight end in 2026 because he's set to make just over $15 million on the franchise tag. But that's a lot of money to invest at TE beyond one season.
Given how his time in Atlanta has gone, it's fair for Ian Cunningham and Matt Ryan to be a bit apprehensive. His time with the Dirty Birds has been defined by inconsistency, trade rumors, and other than two years, a whole lot of disappointment. But it also could be a chance for him to get paid.
This new regime has an expensive decision on their hands. The idea of paying the former top-five pick over $15 million a year for three or four more years isn't ideal, especially after seeing what the Steelers paid Darnell Washington, but Kyle Pitts has a chance to test their resolve with a strong 2026.
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