Falcon Report

Raheem Morris, Terry Fontenot Double Down on Frustrating TE Kyle Pitts

Raheem Morris and Terry Fontenot present a hopeful united front over the future of embattled Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.

Keith Cummings

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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When the Atlanta Falcons took the then 20-year-old Kyle Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, they made him the highest tight end ever selected. At the time they had an aging quarterback on a bad contract, a new head coach and general manager, a leaky offensive line, and the 29th ranked defense. 

Fast forward to 2025, and Pitts is entering the fifth and final year of his contract and will line up Week 1 with his fifth different opening day quarterback.  

When you consider that the Falcons have nice building blocks with quarterback Michael Penix Jr, wide receiver Drake London, and running back Bijan Robinson, the offense could really take off moving forward. 

Of course, a great deal still hinges on the continuing development of Penix Jr. a he enters his first-full season as starter.

All told, it's little wonder the Falcons are only interviewing defensive players this week at the combine.

However, Pitts has regressed to the point whereby trading him has been suggested more than once in dispatches. He wouldn’t fetch much in terms of a decent draft pick, but getting as much of his $11-million guaranteed off the books as possible this season would be tempting. 

Predictably enough, head coach Raheem Morris and general manager Terry Fontenot were asked at the NFL Combine their plans for Pitts in 2025. 

"Look, Kyle's a really talented player," Fontenot insisted. "He's done some really good things. Man, you can make a highlight tape and see all the good things that he's done."

The major trouble being; Pitts’s highlights have been sparse since his 2021 rookie season. Last year he went for 602 yards receiving and 4 touchdowns. His 600 yardage placed him 13th among tight ends, which puts him in line with his salary cap hit among his peers. However, the middle of the pack is falling considerably short of the investment the Falcons put into him.

For what it's worth, Morris also held the line which his GM floated on Tuesday - squeezing more out of the former Florida Gator sure sounds like a tricky balancing act.

"He's always going to have the added pressure because of how high he was drafted, right?" Morris suggested. "So, we want to be able to get the young man out there and be the best version of him. We'll always make the right decision for the Falcons, and we'll always make the right decision for us in order to get him going. We'll have to figure those things out."

It could be very reasonably suggested that much improved quarterback play could help get Pitts rapidly back up to speed. Pitts thrived with the uber-accurate Matt Ryan, but has struggled since.  

Truth is though, Pitts needs to prove himself to Penix Jr. first and foremost, and as free agency looms into view -  proving his credentials has never been more important to the overall trajectory of all involved. 

As for the here and now, trading away Pitts in somewhat of a firesale sale appears to be further down the front office agenda - at least for now.

"We believe that Kyle's going to put everything he can into being the best player he can for us," Fontenot said. "We're going to do the same for him."

Even for all the rah-rah rhetoric, eventually it all gives way to simply knowing when to draw the line and cut bait with an underperforming-premium draft pick. Therein lies the art form of juggling the ongoing evaluation and coming to rely on pure gut instinct.- even if it means pulling the trigger on a low value trade package.

With $33 million already invested into Pitts, it’s likely the Falcons will try one-more year with him. If has a season worthy of his talent, the Falcons can franchise tag him before committing to him for another four years. 

Invariably being completely ruthless gets substantially more difficult when a player flashes on the odd occasion. After all, it always tends to beguile you with pure unadulterated hope above all else.

"He shows spurts of greatness," Morris enthused. "And he shows some things that desire more."

It was an odd pick when they made it, and now time is running out on the Atlanta Falcons getting a return on the highest tight end ever drafted.

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Keith Cummings
KEITH CUMMINGS