Fifth-year tight end Kyle Pitts named Falcons’ make-or-break player for 2025 NFL season by Pro Football Focus.

The Atlanta Falcons have helped those covering the league get through a long NFL offseason by consistently helping fuel trade speculation. The two names that kept coming up were quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Kyle Pitts.

While we’re not ruling anything out just yet, it appears more likely than not that both players will remain in Atlanta this season. Cousins is simply too pricey to move due to his $40 million cap hit.

As for Pitts, the Falcons are unlikely to get a return worthy of giving up on the former No. 4 overall pick. The 24-year-old is entering a contract year, which is all the more reason for the team to keep him around.

If he brings his A-game, Pitts could be a real factor on offense this season, especially with Michael Penix Jr. stepping in at quarterback. Pitts should have plenty of space to work with over the middle with Drake London and Darnell Mooney opening things up on the outside.

Pro Football Focus selected Pitts as the Falcons’ make-or-break player ahead of the 2025 NFL season.

Pitts seems to be on his last legs in Atlanta, with trade rumors floating around throughout the spring. He enters the 2025 season in the final year of his rookie contract after posting a career-low 63.9 PFF receiving grade last season. Pitts needs to find his form as a receiver with Michael Penix Jr. now as his quarterback. If he doesn’t, the former fourth-overall pick could struggle to maintain a lengthy NFL career, especially because of his lack of blocking impact. — Dalton Wasserman, PFF

Last season, it was clear that Cousins lacked chemistry with Pitts. The veteran quarterback seemed to completely avoid him for a large chunk of the season.

Some of this may have been due to Cousins’ alleged arm and leg injuries, and some of it due to Pitts’ occasionally inconsistent route running. However, it’s hard to make plays when you don’t get the targets.The former Florida standout is still capable of getting open.

Pitts has been working with Penix to get on the same page, but that chemistry and trust is something that takes both time and reps to really build. Offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said he expects Pitts to make a big jump this season if he just focuses on the details.

“I’m expecting Kyle to take a big jump,” said Robinson. “You know, Year 2 two of the system. Year 2 of understanding what we’re trying to do offensively. All those things that come with it, so expecting a lot of good things from Kyle. He knows what he needs to work on with the details, some of the fundamentals and techniques.”

Fans have been waiting on Pitts to bounce back for years. Perhaps they will finally get their wish in 2025. Either way, Pitts is a free agent once the season is over, and his future largely depends on his performance.