FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Atlanta Falcons are expected to use the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., general manager Ian Cunningham told 92.9 The Game Tuesday morning. Once official, this would be only the fourth time in franchise history a franchise tag has been placed on a player, with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett being the last recipient of the tag in 2019. Pitts would join Jarrett, punter Michael Koenen (2009) and Brent Grimes (2012) as the only players in franchise history to have been tagged.
"That should get done today," Cunningham said.
The general manager said it is the "right move" for the organization "right now." Per Cunningham, the franchise tag is a way to "use the mechanisms provided by the league" — especially considering Cunningham just got to Atlanta, having been hired on Jan. 29 — to allow the team time to fully evaluate what they want for the future of Pitts and the position in Atlanta and how it relates to their roster construction.
"We're not in the business of letting go really good players," Cunningham said on 92.9 The Game.
The move comes after the NFL's franchise and transition tag window opened last week. Teams have until March 3 to exercise either option.
According to league rules, teams may assign either a franchise or transition tag to one player who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at the start of the new league year on March 11. The franchise tag prevents the player from reaching the open market. Teams and tagged players have until July 15 to negotiate a multi-year extension. If a long-term deal is not reached by that deadline, the player can only sign a one-year deal for the upcoming season.
The projected franchise tag value for tight ends in 2026 is approximately $16 million, according to Spotrac.
Pitts, who played on his fifth-year option in 2025, is coming off one of his most productive seasons. His yardage total ranked second only to his record-breaking rookie season after being selected No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft.
Here's a look back at some of the most notable stats and facts from Pitts' fifth season in Atlanta:
- Finished second among tight ends in receptions (88) and receiving yards (928).
- Tied a career high with five touchdowns in 2025, including a three-touchdown performance against Tampa Bay in Week 15.
- Through Week 16, Pitts ranked No. 2 among tight ends in receptions of 10-plus yards and was tied for No. 1 in receptions of 20-plus yards.
- His performance against the Buccaneers marked just the fourth time in NFL history that a tight end recorded 10-plus catches, 150-plus receiving yards and three-plus receiving touchdowns in a single game. The last tight end to accomplish the feat was Shannon Sharpe in 1996.
New head coach Kevin Stefanski was asked specifically about the tight end position and Pitts' future in Atlanta during his introductory press conference in January. Though he did not discuss Pitts directly at the time, he emphasized how important the tight end position is within his offensive philosophy.
"I love the position. I coached it. It was my first position to coach on the offensive staff, was tight ends there with the Vikings under coach (Mike) Zimmer," Stefanski said. "I love the position because of the versatility that it provides an offense. And you've seen it around the league. This is nothing new or earth-shattering, but tight ends that can line up all over make life hard on a defense. Whether you can line them up outside, in the backfield, in line, you name it, we love versatility at that position.
"Obviously, Kyle's somebody that we'll talk at length more about when it comes to those types of roster conversations, but the position itself is something that we feel really very strongly about."
On Draymond Green’s podcast last month, Pitts was asked about the potential of playing for Stefanski, considering his focus and work with tight ends.
"To see what he's done in the past is great," Pitts said, "and talking to David (Njoku) there's nothing but great things to say. I think that'd be pretty cool."
In 2024 — when current Falcons offensive coordinator Tommy Rees was the Browns' tight ends coach — Njoku finished No. 10 overall among tight ends in receptions and No. 9 in receiving touchdowns, leading the Browns with 64 catches and five touchdowns. That year, five tight ends spent time on the Browns' active roster and combined for 111 receptions, 953 yards and eight touchdowns.
In 2025, rookie tight end Harold Fannin Jr. led the Browns and ranked No. 4 among all rookies in receiving yards after catching 72 passes for 731 yards and six touchdowns.
Both Stefanski and Rees bring with them a specific philosophy prioritizing tight ends, having both coached the position. The Falcons also retained Kevin Koger, Pitts' tight end coach the last two seasons.
A few weeks after Stefanski himself said discussions with Pitts about his future would come, it would seem those discussions have now begun, with the outcome expected to be that Pitts remains in Atlanta under the franchise tag.
