The Kyle Pitts Question Continues to Vex Atlanta Falcons

Atlanta Falcons fans will remember when the multi-million dollar acquisition of veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins was going to set misfiring tight end Kyle Pitts on the road to career redemption.

For a while, that looked to be the case. Through the Falcons’ first-eight games, Pitts had 29 catches for 419 yards and three touchdowns. That number included a goose egg he had Week 4 against the New Orleans Saints. 

After his Week 8, 91 yard, two-touchdown performance against the Buccaneers, Pitts went MIA.

He had just 183 yards and a touchdown during the final-nine games.  

Isn’t it funny just how quickly things can implode and go south?

When Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot offered up his assessment of his team’s failed season on last week, it came as no surprise that he unashamedly pointed the finger at Pitts’s lack of production. This seems to be an annual conversation with regards to Pitts.

“When you take a player that high in the draft, obviously you expect a certain level,” Fontenot said of the highest drafted tight end in NFL history. “We understand Kyle had a really good rookie year, and he hasn’t equaled or exceeded that production since then. There’s no excuses we’re making about it.”

Even given Fontenot’s sleuth-like observations, and for as cathartic as it might also have felt for him personally, it did little to lay out a map of the road ahead with regards to a Pitts future in Atlanta.

The Falcons picked up his fifth-year option before the season. They’re on the hook for $10.9-million guaranteed in 2025. Beyond that, Pitts is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent.

Considering the hot water Fontenot was already in for the Cousins failure and losing a draft pick in the process, the subsequent double whammy of Pitts having another subpar season is particularly depressing.

Fontenot also finds himself with only four picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. All of which begs the imminent offseason conundrum of deciding whether or not it’s time to simply cut ties and firesale the former 4th overall selection.

Of course, some kind of value can always be found out there, especially if a host of tight end hungry teams really believe they can resuscitate the former 1,000 yard Pro Bowler’s beleaguered reputation. However, the Falcons will be selling low, and the return won’t come close to matching the fourth-overall selection or the $33-million the Falcons have already sunk into Pitts. 

Quite clearly, the entire future of the Falcons franchise now rests squarely on the powerful left arm of quarterback Michael Penix Jr., but therein lies the inherent issue.

Pitts inability to develop into a more sure-handed pass catcher doesn’t immediately appear to mesh with the fast ball type of passer Penix Jr. actually is.

Having said all of that, Fontenot is well aware that he needs to do his level best to give Penix as many explosive receiving options as he can as they move ahead with his development.

Throwing the baby out with the bath water with Pitts must ultimately resonate strongly with Fontenot. Plus, running the risk of seeing Pitts resurrect his career elsewhere would presumably be catastrophic for Fontenot’s own future in Atlanta. 

Atlanta would obviously like to see a return on Pitts, but how much longer can they ultimately wait?

Decisions, decisions.