No matter the levels to which Atlanta Falcons head coach Raheem Morris and Co. try to prop up underperforming tight end Kyle Pitts, the proof will be in the pudding this upcoming season. Pitts is out of time with the Falcons. He’s playing on his fifth-year option, and if he wants to get a mega-second contract, he has to deliver in 2025.
"He's always going to have the added pressure because of how high he was drafted, right?" Morris said at the NFL Combine of the ongoing expectations for his tight end. "So, we want to be able to get the young man out there and be the best version of him. We'll always make the right decision for the Falcons, and we'll always make the right decision for us in order to get him going. We'll have to figure those things out."
In equal measure, Morris in particular has opted to use the carrot and the stick to drive his own message home with Pitts; it's a timely reminder that he must return to prior rookie form.
Meanwhile, the landscape for possibly extending Pitts contract changed seismically when the Arizona Cardinals extended their own tight end Trey McBride to the tune of four years and $76 million.
An average salary of $19 million for a player with only one Pro Bowl appearance on his resume might seem steep, but the market for pass catching tight ends is clearly on the rise.
McBride's new deal even places his earnings above the average of some tight ends with serious chops and it's bound to reset the entire market.
Proven guys like San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle, the Baltimore Ravens Mark Andrews, and Dallas Goedert of the Philadelphia Eagles also happen to be playing out the last year of their current deals.
Of course, that's when we best circle back to what it might all end up meaning with specific regard to Pitts, and he will also become a free agent after his rookie deal expires this season.
Now greatly backed into a corner by the financial parameters of the McBride deal, the Falcons top brass can only really let Pitts play out his current deal and hope for the best in terms of his production.
By only catching 47 balls for 602 yards last year, Pitts was never going to force the hand of an NFL general manager. On the flip side, Pitts will only turn 25 years old this October, and everyone in the building seemingly remains beguiled by his lofty 4th overall draft status until they decide otherwise.
As far as the Falcons are concerned, they will only remain committed with a much more short term approach with Pitts. Now that Michael Penix Jr. will be throwing Pitts the ball regularly, the Falcons tight end may indeed reignite his career.
The Falcons may still be hesitant to commit to Pitts on a long-term deal even if he has a season worthy of his draft status. They have the franchise tag in their back pocket, which would give Pitts a one-year-guaranteed deal at the average of the five-highest paid tight ends.
McBride’s new deal is going to cost the Falcons one way or another if Pitts performs.
Frankly, the Falcons don’t care. They’d happily pay Pitts a truckload of Arthur Blank’s money if it meant they were finally getting a return on the highest tight end drafted in NFL history.
