Falcons Weapon Makes ESPN's Top-50 Free Agents of 2026

After a big year heading into free agency, this Atlanta Falcons weapon managed to boost his stock quite a bit

One big contract year gave this one Falcons free agent a boost | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

The Atlanta Falcons have some important players set to hit free agency this offseason, most notable of which is tight end Kyle Pitts. ESPN’s Matt Bowen ranked the top 50 players who will be testing the market in a few months, and the former top 10 pick makes the list.

Pitts comes in at No. 23 in Bowen’s list after a season in which he saw career highs in receptions (88) and touchdowns (5.0). He finished the year with 88 catches for 928 yards and five scores, taking over after wide receiver Drake London went down with an injury.

While Bowen praised Pitts’ production and impact in the passing game, he noted there is still room for growth in other areas of his game.

“Pitts plays the position like a wide receiver, and his numbers were up in 2025 (88 catches for 928 yards and five touchdowns). Though he needs to be more willing as an in-line blocker, teams are getting upside here in the pass game. And he has the tools to find favorable matchups from a variety of pre-snap alignments,” Bowen wrote.

Pitts was second amongst tight ends in receiving yards this season, trailing only Arizona’s Trey McBride, who amassed over 1,200 yards. 

Pitts was the only tight end this season to have a game with 150 or more receiving yards and two or more touchdowns, exploding for 166 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15. He was also the only tight end to have three straight games with 80 or more receiving yards.

Pitts received second-team All-Pro for his impressive feats this season.

The “unicorn” tight end was the highest drafted player at his position in NFL history, being selected fourth overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2021. After a 1,000-yard receiving season as a rookie, one of only three tight ends to ever achieve this in their first season, Pitts career has not panned out as well as one may have hoped.

He’s dealt with injury and bad quarterback play, and when his four-year rookie contract was up, he was not given an extension, with Atlanta deciding to pick up his fifth-year option instead. 

Now, he is slated to hit the free agency market, although he said last week that it would be “dope” to play under new head coach Kevin Stefanski. Whether or not he returns to Atlanta is currently up in the air, but he is seen as one of the top 25 players on the market by ESPN.