The Atlanta Falcons handed out a four-year, $141 million deal to wide receiver Drake London earlier this month, and now, they have awarded their top tight end with a new contract. The Falcons agreed to terms with Kyle Pitts on a three-year, $54 million deal that includes $36 million guaranteed, per CBS NFL insider Jonathan Jones.
Pitts was hit with the franchise tag in February after a career year in which he caught 88 passes for 928 yards and five touchdowns, earning Second Team All-Pro honors. Those 88 receptions and 928 yards receiving ranked second among all players at his position behind Trey McBride. Pitts also had a historic performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 15, when he became the first tight end in NFL history to catch 10 passes, record 165 yards receiving and score three touchdowns in a single game. During that Thursday night win, Pitts caught 11 of 12 targets for 166 yards and three touchdowns.
The Falcons placed the tag on Pitts to stop him from hitting free agency, with the hopes of reaching a long-term agreement in the coming months. Pitts would have made a fully-guaranteed $15,045,000 in 2026 had he played on the franchise tag. This new deal is reportedly the largest three-year deal for a tight end in NFL history, and Pitts' new AAV of $18 million per year makes him the No. 3 highest-paid tight end in the NFL.
Highest-paid tight ends
| Player | AAV |
|---|---|
$19.1 million | |
Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals | $19 million |
Kyle Pitts, Atlanta Falcons | $18 million |
$13.3 million | |
$13.09 million |
The Falcons selected Pitts with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft out of Florida. He made the Pro Bowl after becoming the first rookie tight end to cross 1,000 yards receiving since Mike Ditka accomplished the feat in 1961. In 78 career games played, Pitts has caught 284 passes for 3,579 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Now that London and Pitts are locked up, Matt Ryan and Ian Cunningham should turn their attention to star running back Bijan Robinson. One of the best running backs in the NFL is up for a historic contract that could surpass Saquon Barkley's No. 1 AAV of $20.6 million. There's urgency to get a deal done as well, since Jahmyr Gibbs of the Detroit Lions is looking to reset the market.
Falcons' offensive outlook in 2026
In looking at some of the 2026 projections from our fantasy football crew at CBS Sports, they believe Pitts is in for another career year. Pitts projects to catch 82 passes for 929 yards and seven touchdowns. If you're curious about where that places him among tight ends in fantasy, it's No. 5 (PPR).
There's one glaring issue the Falcons face in 2026. New coach Kevin Stefanski needs an effective point guard for his offense -- an effective distributor of the football. If he has one, this Falcons offense could return to being a top-10 unit. They have a legitimate WR1 in London, a versatile weapon in Pitts, and then arguably the best running back in the league in Robinson.
The Falcons missed the playoffs in eight straight seasons now. Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, Taylor Heinicke and Kirk Cousins all failed to grab the reins of this franchise. Now, it's up to Michael Penix Jr. or Tua Tagovailoa to win the job of QB1.
Penix is coming off the third torn ACL of his football career, but he hasn't done enough to secure the starting job just yet, either. The former No. 8 overall pick in 2024 is 4-8 as an NFL starter and has thrown 12 touchdowns compared to interceptions over 14 games. This is why the Falcons went out and signed Tagovailoa, although he's at the lowest point of his NFL career.
The Miami Dolphins took on an NFL-record $99 million dead cap hit just to move off of Tagovailoa this offseason, and you can understand why. He threw a career-high 15 interceptions in 2025, which landed him on the bench. Tagovailoa has regressed since putting pen to paper on the four-year, $212.4 million extension prior to the 2024 season, and has won just 12 of 25 starts over the last two years. It's up to Stefanski to rebuild his confidence.
