Kyle Pitts Is Finally Flashing His Potential - But Is It Enough to Earn a Big Payday?
For much of the past few seasons, Kyle Pitts has been a riddle wrapped in elite measurables. Drafted fourth overall in 2021 - the highest a tight end has ever gone - Pitts entered the league with sky-high expectations and a skillset that screamed mismatch nightmare. But inconsistent quarterback play, injuries, and a shifting offensive identity in Atlanta have kept him from truly breaking out.
Until now.
With wide receiver Drake London sidelined and Kirk Cousins stepping in at quarterback, Pitts has seized the moment. On Thursday Night Football, he delivered the kind of performance that turns heads across the league: 11 catches, 166 yards, and three touchdowns - all career highs. It was a statement game, and it came on a national stage.
But here’s the thing - this wasn’t just a one-off explosion. Over the last three games, Pitts has quietly been one of the most productive pass-catchers in the league.
He’s averaging 112.7 receiving yards per game during that stretch, and he hasn’t dipped below 82 yards in any of them. That’s not just a hot streak - that’s consistency, something that’s eluded Pitts for most of his career.
This version of Kyle Pitts? This is what the Falcons envisioned when they drafted him.
A 6'6", 245-pound athletic marvel who can line up anywhere and dominate anyone - too fast for linebackers, too big for corners, too skilled for safeties. It’s the same player we saw flashes of as a rookie when Matt Ryan was still under center.
And now, with Cousins showing trust in him and London out of the lineup, Pitts is finally looking like the guy.
So naturally, the question now shifts to the offseason: will Kyle Pitts cash in?
It’s a complicated answer.
There’s no denying the recent surge has reignited the conversation around Pitts’ long-term value. He’s in a contract year, and performances like Thursday night’s tend to stick in the minds of front offices.
But one dominant month doesn’t erase four and a half seasons of uneven production. That’s where the hesitation comes in.
As of now, the top of the tight end market is occupied by names like George Kittle and Trey McBride, both pulling in around $19 million annually. Pitts, for all his potential, hasn’t consistently produced at that level - and he’s never been known as a strong blocker, which still matters in today’s NFL. So while it’s possible a team falls in love with the upside and makes a splashy offer, the more likely scenario is that teams proceed with caution.
That includes Atlanta.
The Falcons have a decision to make, and it’s not an easy one. They’ve invested heavily in Pitts - not just with a top-five pick, but with years of development and offensive planning.
And while the results have been mixed, he’s still only 25 years old. That’s younger than some players coming out of college.
There’s a real chance his best football is still ahead of him.
Which is exactly why the franchise tag might be the smart play here.
It buys Atlanta another year to evaluate whether this recent breakout is sustainable or just a flash in the pan. It protects them from overcommitting to a long-term deal based on a small sample size. And it gives Pitts another season to prove he can be the guy - not just in December, but from Week 1 through Week 18.
Sure, players rarely love being tagged, and Pitts probably won’t be thrilled either. But in this case, it makes sense for both sides. The Falcons get more time to evaluate a premium talent they’ve already invested in, and Pitts gets another chance - with a healthy quarterback and a more defined role - to show he can be one of the league’s elite tight ends.
Kyle Pitts is finally turning heads again. Now comes the hard part: proving it wasn’t just a late-season mirage.