Falcons secure Pitts in $54m extension, cementing core strategy under new regime
The agreement replaces the 2026 franchise tag and positions Kyle Pitts as the NFL’s third-highest paid tight end, following a similar move for wide receiver Drake London.
The Atlanta Falcons have agreed to a three-year, $54 million contract extension with tight end Kyle Pitts, securing the player’s services through the 2028 season. The deal, which includes $36 million in fully guaranteed funds, replaces the franchise tag Pitts held for the 2026 season and carries an average annual value of $18 million.
Negotiated by agents David Mulugheta of Athletes First and Andre Odom, the agreement elevates Pitts to the position of the NFL’s third-highest paid tight end. He now trails only San Francisco 49ers’ George Kittle, whose average annual value stands at $19.1 million, and Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride, who earns $19 million per year.
The extension follows a strategic push by the Falcons’ new management structure to retain its core talent. Three weeks prior, the club agreed to a four-year, $141 million extension for wide receiver Drake London. With Pitts now locked in, the organisation is expected to focus its resources on re-signing All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson.
Pitts, 25, enters the extension having recorded 88 receptions for 928 yards and five touchdowns during the 2025 season, ranking second among tight ends in both receptions and receiving yards. His performance in December 2025, where he recorded 11 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, marked the first time a tight end has achieved at least 150 yards and three touchdowns in a single game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996.
The move underscores the priorities of the Falcons’ new regime, comprising president of football Matt Ryan, head coach Kevin Stefanski, and general manager Ian Cunningham. Pitts, originally drafted fourth overall in 2021, had previously recorded a historic 1,026-yard rookie season, the first 1,000-yard campaign for a tight end since Mike Ditka in 1961. The extension ensures stability for a player who had experienced inconsistency in the intervening years before his recent breakout.
