The Atlanta Falcons are planning to place their franchise tag on one of the best skill players at his position.
The Atlanta Falcons made one of their major offseason plans known as the team enters a new era under president of football Matt Ryan, head coach Kevin Stefanski, and general manager Ian Cunningham. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, they indicated that they plan to place the franchise tag on star tight end Kyle Pitts, who is one of the top tight ends in the league. That decision would keep the star pass catcher under contract for at least one season.
Based on the way the franchise tag system is set up, Pitt stands to make approximately $16.3 million in 2026, according to OverTheCap.com. That would be the franchise tag salary this year for tight ends, as the contract numbers are calculated based on the top five annual salaries at that position. The Falcons have until Mar. 3 to decide whether to place the franchise tag on Pitts, as well as the deadline for the transition tag, with the free agency period kicking off the week after. If Pitts and Atlanta can’t agree to a long-term contract by July 15, Pitts will have to play the 2026 season under the franchise tender.
Pitts finished second in both receptions (88) and receiving yards (928) among tight ends in the NFL last season, behind Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBridge. He had a career-high five touchdown receptions last season. He was voted second-team All-Pro by AP.
It was a major campaign that marked a comeback after injuries and other things plagued him from 2022 to 2024 following his breakout rookie season in 2021 where he finished with 68 catches for 1,026 yards and became the first tight end rookie to surpass 1,000 yards since Mike Ditka in 1961.
Intriguingly, the quarterback who was throwing to Pitts is now the president of football in Ryan. In addition, Stefanski is a former tight ends coach, and his offensive schemes have shown an appreciation for the role, which may matter in their valuation of Pitts and his role on the team when looking at long-term extension talks. The former No. 4 pick out of Florida has shown the ability to be a playmaker, and that’s despite having six different signal callers throw to him over five seasons.