![\"Atlanta](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/GettyImages-2152965055-e1775717600645.jpg\")
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tGetty\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts.<\/p>\n
The Atlanta Falcons<\/a> offseason workout program has begun, and in attendance was tight end Kyle Pitts.<\/p>\n Pitts showed up to Flowery Branch alongside several notable teammates as the Falcons prepare for a new era under nearly completely revamped leadership, from general manager to head coach.<\/p>\n That new leadership, led by general manager Ian Cunningham, has already made a major decision by placing the franchise tag on Pitts. Under the tag, Pitts is set to earn $15 million guaranteed in 2026.<\/p>\n Now, the focus shifts squarely to Pitts\u2019 future. The 2026 season could be pivotal for the former first-round pick, who may position himself for a massive payday if he matches or exceeds his production from last year.<\/p>\n Why Kyle Pitts Agreed To Franchise Tag Deal<\/p>\n Sports Illustrated\u2019s Albert Breer<\/a> recently broke down Pitts\u2019 contract situation and why the tight end ultimately agreed to sign the franchise tag.<\/p>\n \u201cBecause it was a good deal for him,\u201d Breer wrote.<\/p>\n Breer explained that the structure gives Pitts leverage to negotiate a significantly larger long-term extension down the line.<\/p>\n \u201cGenerally, the way you want to look at negotiating a contract for players at the top of the heap at their position is to take two franchise tags and add them together. That, then, is your guarantee number, and you cut it in half for your average per year,\u201d Breer added.<\/p>\n \u201cIn this case, two tags for Pitts (this year\u2019s tag at the aforementioned number, and next year\u2019s at 120% of that number) comes to $33.11 million. Split that in half, and it\u2019s $16.55 million. Give Pitts a small sweetener on those numbers, and we\u2019re talking about, perhaps, a four-year, $68 million extension, with $35 million fully guaranteed. That would put Pitts behind only George Kittle and Trey McBride at his position, and not far off from them.\u201d<\/p>\n There is also the possibility that the Falcons could apply the franchise tag again in 2027, which would increase Pitts\u2019 salary to $18.06 million.<\/p>\n Falcons Leave Door Open For Potential Kyle Pitts Trade<\/p>\n Another scenario that cannot be ignored is Pitts potentially landing on the trade block.<\/p>\n Speaking with the media at the NFL<\/a> Annual Meeting in Phoenix, Cunningham offered a somewhat cryptic response<\/a> when asked about Pitts\u2019 future.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s my job as the general manager to do what\u2019s best for the organization,\u201d Cunningham said, per The Athletic\u2019s Josh Kendall. \u201cKyle is a great player. We\u2019ve seen his skill set. Also, it\u2019s my job to listen. We\u2019re excited to have Kyle. We\u2019re excited for his future.\u201d<\/p>\n Those five words \u2014 \u201cit\u2019s my job to listen\u201d \u2014 stand out like a sore thumb.<\/p>\n When factoring in Pitts\u2019 inconsistencies over his first five seasons, along with Atlanta\u2019s pressing need to add draft capital after entering the cycle with just five picks, the idea of a trade becomes more realistic.<\/p>\n \u201cFor us, it\u2019s one of those things where we have to go into this thinking we only have five picks. That\u2019s worst case,\u201d Cunningham said, via the team\u2019s website<\/a>. \u201cIf we come out of it with just five picks, we come out of it with just five picks. We are already looking at different ways to potentially manufacture some more. But if it doesn\u2019t work out, it doesn\u2019t work out.\u201d<\/p>\n Whether Pitts ultimately cashes in with a long-term extension or becomes a valuable trade chip, his situation remains one of the most important storylines to watch as the Falcons move deeper into the offseason.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tShane Shoemaker<\/a> Shane Shoemaker is a sports journalist covering college football and the NFL for Heavy.com. His work has also appeared in The Sporting News, Athlon Sports, USA TODAY, and ClutchPoints, along with high school sports coverage for the Marion Tribune. More about Shane Shoemaker<\/a>\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tMore Heavy on Falcons\n\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\tLoading more stories\n\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Getty Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts. The Atlanta Falcons offseason workout program has begun, and in attendance was…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":862244,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2074],"tags":[223,254,2554,224,7,6],"class_list":{"0":"post-862243","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-atlanta-falcons","8":"tag-atlanta","9":"tag-atlanta-falcons","10":"tag-atlantafalcons","11":"tag-falcons","12":"tag-football","13":"tag-nfl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116374431613566141","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862243","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=862243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/862243\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/862244"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=862243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=862243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=862243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}