With Kyle Pitts signing his big-money contract extension, the Atlanta Falcons are seeing it as the start of the next phase of his career.
“I think there’s a lot more out there, a lot more to get, and a lot more to keep grinding toward. It’s cool to see,” Pitts said, via the Atlanta Journal-Constitution , adding that he believes his best football is “100 percent” in the future.
The No. 4 overall pick in 2021, Pitts burst out of the gate, compiling 1,026 yards in his rookie campaign and earning a Pro Bowl nod. However, his play waned over the next few seasons. In years 2-4, he averaged 435 yards per season and struggled to find consistency. However, late last season, he stepped up and became a playmaker with Kirk Cousins under center. He finished the year with 928 yards and career highs in receptions (88) and TDs (5).
The Falcons franchise tagged Pitts early in the offseason. Some believed that with a new management structure and coaching staff in the ATL, the club could play things up and let Pitts prove it before giving him a long-term salary. Instead, the brass showed confidence in the TE’s upward trajectory, signing him to a three-year, $54 million deal that he officially signed on Monday. The $18 million per year contract ranks third among tight ends, behind George Kittle ($19.1 million) and Trey McBride ($19 million).
Pitts said he was willing to play under the franchise before the Falcons stepped up to lock him up long-term.
“It was more like, ‘OK, this was my chance that Atlanta picked it up again to give me another year to show,'” Pitts said. “And then it was just time to squeeze the rag and just grind. I was lucky enough to get the call and the long-term interest, and when that happened, it was really great.”
With Kevin Stefanski taking the reins, Pitts believes his skill set, along with an offense that has traditionally used TEs heavily, will allow him to be even more versatile in the offense.
“I would say add more tools to my toolbox, allow me to do a few more things in terms of driving routes, obviously,” Pitts said of the new offense earlier this season. “Being an asset in this offense.”
Pitts’ strength is using his athleticism in space to beat coverage. He continues to struggle with the built-in blocking aspect of the position, but his pass-catching ability is key for a Falcons offense with questions behind Drake London at receiver.
“I think Kyle is going to be a big part of this,” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand said. “He had tremendous production last year. He’s definitely one of the top guys in the league at that position. Hopefully we’ll see a lot more of what we saw last year out of him and he can continue that upward trend.”