The Atlanta Falcons placed their franchise tag on star tight end Kyle Pitts today. Pitts, who had his best year of his career last season was set to become a free agent this Spring.
The tight end will earn $16,319,000 in 2026, though the franchise tag will still allow for the star to negotiate a contract extension before the July 15th deadline.
In 2025, Pitts notched 88 receptions, 928 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns, making him one of the more productive receiving tight ends in all of the NFL.
This decision comes nearly one week before the deadline for teams to place the franchise tag on their players, with many more decisions along the lines of the one the Falcons just made with Pitts set to take place over the next week.
In December of 2025, Pitts had one of the greatest performances ever by a tight end, hauling in 3 touchdown receptions along with 11 catches and 166 yards.
Pitts became the first tight end to have over 150 yards and 3 touchdown receptions since the electric Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe achieved the feat in 1996.
High Expectations From Day One For Kyle Pitts Finally Realized In 2025
Pitts was the highest drafted tight end in the history of the NFL in 2021 with the fourth overall selection by the Atlanta Falcons.
He played three seasons at the University of Florida from 2018 to 2020, finishing with 100 receptions for 1,492 yards and 18 touchdowns across 32 games.
Pitts wowed America with his size and ability during his college football career, making him a top prospect heading into the 2021 NFL Draft.
Considering he only recorded 3 catches in his Freshman year of college, Pitts achieved nearly all of his college statistics in just two seasons, a remarkable feat.
In his junior year, Pitts won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s best tight end, was a unanimous All-American, finished 10th in Heisman voting.
Pitts came into the league with high expectations, and wowed his rookie season with one of the greatest single seasons by a rookie tight end in league history.
Early NFL Success Then Injury Leads To A Comeback For Pitts
In his rookie season, Pitts recorded 68 catches, 1,026 yards, and received Pro Bowl selection. He became only the second rookie tight end in NFL history to top 1,000 receiving yards, joining Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.
Pitts was riding high, until his sophomore season. In Week 11 of his second year, Pitts suffered an MCL tear against the Chicago Bears, leaving him out for the rest of the season.
The tight end would spend much of 2023 and 2024 rehabbing from his injury, putting up weaker stat lines in each of those years.
It wasn’t until his monster season in 2025 that the tight end was able to recover his reputation as one of the best receiving tight ends in the National Football League, earning himself a spot on the Second Team All-Pro.
Atlanta has locked down one of their key offensive weapons for the 2026 season. Who else will they add?
