Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts chose to sign the franchise tag on him this year. He gets to play for a team this season, a win of a kind for Pitts considering how troubling his career has turned out to be. But the Year 6 TE still has to go a long way in convincing the Falcons that he deserves a formal contract.

“No, they don’t trust you,” Chad ‘Ochocinco’ Johnson said on Nightcap on Jun 7, 2026. “They franchise-tagging you for a reason. It’s to their advantage, not yours. … You telling me, ‘You know what, you’re good. But we don’t value as much as you think we do long-haul. We don’t want to put that investment in you.'”

The Falcons chose to place the franchise tag on Kyle Pitts this offseason after his rookie contract and fifth-year option expired. The move guarantees him $15.045 million for the 2026 season. General Manager Ian Cunningham had said in March that the Falcons did not “want a player of Kyle’s caliber to be able to go and hit the open market.”

The franchise tag came only after Pitts was able to show that he wasn’t a lost cause. The TE was able to finish strong last year, hauling in 928 yards in 88 catches and five touchdowns. It reminded fans of the sensational rookie season Pitts recorded in 2021, with 68 catches for 1,026 yards, becoming the only other rookie TE to cross the 1,000-yard mark after Mike Ditka.

ATLANTA, GA – JANUARY 04: Tight end Kyle Pitts, Sr. 8 of the Atlanta Falcons after the week 18 NFL, American Football Herren, USA game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints on Sunday January 4, 2026 at the Mercedes-Banz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. Photo by David J. Griffin/Icon Sportswire NFL: JAN 04 Saints at Falcons EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon9532601042230Separating these two seasons, however, is an inexplicable slump. Pitts’ 2022 season was marred by injuries, and he was far from his elite self in 2023 and 2024, when he had posted 1,269 yards across both these years. The fifth-year option was probably activated based on the potential he showed as a rookie.

Atlanta clearly hasn’t seen enough to give Kyle Pitts a contract. They’ll want more time to see how he fits into new head coach Kevin Stefanski’s offense before making a major financial commitment. Pitts has also understood that 2026 is yet another make-or-break year.

“I took the positive in it and taking a chance and [it’s] basically kind of like my fifth-year option, but it’s a sixth-year option,” Pitts said after practice during the Falcons’ OTAs. “It’s a blessing to be able to get that year and them not say, ‘Well, you can go test the market,’ or whatever. They just trust you that we see something in you, and it’s pretty cool to see. It’s a new year and … I’m not worried about it.”

Shannon Sharpe, however, pulled back the curtains on the reality.

“Trust [is when they give you a new contract,” he said on Nightcap. “Trust is what they gave Micah Parsons. Trust is what they gave Myles Garrett. Trust is what they gave T.J. Watt. Trust is what they gave CeeDee [Lamb]. That’s trust.”

Only days before the Falcons placed the tag on Pitts, they gave wide receiver Drake London a $141 million, four-year extension. The WR was drafted eighth overall in the 2022 draft and has consistently delivered for Atlanta since then. London has hauled in more than 800 yards in every season he has played, reaching a career high of 1,271 yards in 2024. The Falcons didn’t have to keep him waiting with a fifth-year option.

But Pitts is a different case.

Kyle Pitts could still be in Atlanta’s plans

There is a good chance of Atlanta trading Pitts in the future. He’s in his mid-20s, and has the potential to be a freak when at his best; the team should be getting good offers for the TE if they do shop him around. But with the Falcons now operating in a new regime, Pitts will have to play an important role.

“The physical skill set is obvious when Kyle is on the field and with how big he is and how he moves,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said. “But I’ve been impressed with [how he is taking to] what we’re asking him to do and then a couple of new things for him.”

Dave Choate of The Falcoholic predicted Atlanta’s offense to feature two tight ends this season. The 12 personnel system, which features two TEs in the mix, was the second-most used option by Stefanski and new offensive coordinator Tommy Rees when they were in Cleveland last year. Choate doesn’t expect this to be as frequent as it was in Cleveland, because the Falcons have better talent at wide receiver.

Stefanski himself has been a tight ends coach at the Minnesota Vikings. He should be able to use Kyle Pitts in a variety of ways. And if the TE can bring this season home in a new offense, perhaps he could expect the Falcons to begin contract talks again.