Updated June 24, 2026, 1:49 p.m. ET<\/p>\n
Atlanta Falcons<\/a> general manager Ian Cunningham has made it a priority to re-sign the team’s young core in his first offseason since taking over for Terry Fontenot. Cunningham’s latest move was to re-sign Fontenot’s very first draft pick, agreeing to terms with Kyle Pitts on a new three-year contract.<\/p>\n Pitts is now the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL at $18 million per year. Considering he’s just 25 years old and coming off arguably the best season of his career, it’s easy to see why the Falcons wanted to get a deal done. While Pitts’ 88-catch, 928-yard campaign was impressive, he has struggled with consistency throughout his career.<\/p>\n For The Win<\/a> NFL analyst Christian D’Andrea gave Pitts’ new contract a B-minus grade.<\/p>\n “Pitts may not be the guy who perpetually draws double teams like Atlanta may have hoped,” wrote D’Andrea<\/a>. “But if he can clear space for Bijan Robinson and, importantly, fill a need for a receiving corps that’s paper thin behind Drake London, he’ll bring value approaching the top-three salary he just received. But that’s a big risk for a player who hasn’t been able to string together back-to-back good years yet.”<\/p>\n The tight end position is not easy to evaluate since it’s largely dependent on quarterback play. Back when Matt Ryan was the team’s quarterback in 2021, Pitts posted a career-high 1,026 yards. However, that production dipped as Pitts played with Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke in 2022 and 2023.<\/p>\n