Updated June 25, 2026, 8:43 p.m. ET

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts has seen his stock rise and fall over the last five NFL seasons, but he was still able to secure a three-year, $54 million extension following a breakout year in 2025. Pitts led the team with 88 catches for 928 receiving yards last season.

The Falcons initially used the franchise tag on Pitts before working out a long-term deal to make him the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL. The former top-five pick topped 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie in 2021 but struggled after the team traded Matt Ryan away in 2022.

Pitts had three underwhelming seasons from 2022-2024, but he took off last year once he became a focal point of the offense. It’s hard to blame the Falcons for wanting to keep their most productive pass-catcher in Atlanta, especially considering he’s just 25 years old, but not everybody loved the movie.

ESPN analyst Booger McFarland criticized the extension during a segment on NFL Live. The two-time Super Bowl champion said he didn’t feel Pitts has been consistent enough to warrant that kind of elite money.

“I like the deal. I don’t love it,” said McFarland. “I don’t love it because I don’t think the player has lived up to what we thought he was gonna be. We thought he was going to be this matchup nightmare that was going to revolutionize the league. A tight end at 6-4, 6-5, 250 that can run 4.4. He was just going to be a matchup nightmare and he just hasn’t been that just yet.”

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While McFarland said he was happy for Pitts to get his money, he also questioned why the Falcons tight end failed to produce in the three seasons prior to his contract year.

“Yeah, he had his career year last year,” added McFarland. “How many times have we seen a guy have a career year in a contract year? How come you couldn’t do that the previous three years when the contract year wasn’t there?”

The obvious answer is that the Falcons haven’t had consistent enough quarterback play for most of Pitts’ tenure in Atlanta. After Ryan was traded, Pitts had to play with Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke before the team brought in Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix Jr. in 2024.

Pitts has played with a different Week 1 starter in all five of his seasons in Atlanta. While he certainly needs to work on consistency and must continue to improve his run-blocking ability, there aren’t too many better options at the tight end position.