Have you experienced hair loss due to drafting Kyle Pitts in fantasy football? Same, and more times than I’m proud of. But imagine being the Atlanta Falcons, the team that actually drafted the tight end with the fourth overall pick in 2021. The Florida product came into the league billed as a rare generational prospect at the position, poised to add a dynamic layer to the Falcons’ offense. In brief flashes, we saw it. More often, however, there were droves of inconsistency, injury and the dreaded “bust” word being spewed about.
Now, we’re at the latest (final?) chapter of the topsy-turvy tenure for Pitts and the Falcons. According to a recent report from Fox Sports, teams have reached out to Atlanta, checking in on the availability of Pitts. While the report notes that the organization would prefer to keep Pitts on the roster, it didn’t hang up the phone, either. Instead, it would take “at least a Day 2 pick” in order to get the wheels of a deal moving. So, it does seem like there’s at least a chance Pitts is moved.
How did we get here? When the Falcons used the No. 4 overall pick to select Pitts, he was thought to be a foundational piece who would be linked to the franchise for years to come. Now, with the phone ringing in the background with a potential trade partner on the other end, Atlanta looks at the 2021 draft board, sees stars Ja’Marr Chase, Patrick Surtain II and Micah Parsons, and can only wonder what if.
Below, we’ll chronicle Pitts’ timeline with the Falcons, beginning on draft night and devolving to the doorstep of this potential trade — all while trying to identify what went wrong.
Optimism was sky high for the Falcons when they were on the clock. Three quarterbacks went within the first three selections (Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and then Trey Lance), which gave Atlanta its pick of the non-QB litter. Looking back at various mock drafts at the time leading up to the 2021 NFL Draft, Pitts was the consensus pick in this spot, although some analysts suggested that the club select a quarterback (Justin Fields or Mac Jones) to create a succession plan at the position with Matt Ryan entering his age-36 season.
The Falcons wound up selecting Pitts, which of course stings when looking at the prospects who went after him, especially at wide receiver. After Pitts, Chase went to the Cincinnati Bengals at No. 5 and Jaylen Waddle landed with the Miami Dolphins at No. 6. Four picks later, the Philadelphia Eagles took DeVonta Smith. Each of those receivers has had multiple 1,000-yard seasons.
With the benefit of hindsight, not going in either of those directions proved dire for the franchise, as that position group quickly dissolved.
2021 season: WR room instantly self-implodes
At the time Pitts was drafted, the Falcons appeared to be building an offensive juggernaut around Ryan, particularly with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley headlining the receiver room. Their presences, in theory, should have given Pitts a softer landing in the NFL, with them commanding attention from opposing secondaries.
However, that trio would never play a snap together. Mere months after the draft, Jones was traded to the Tennessee Titans, ending his decade-long tenure with the organization. Part of that was due to the Falcons seeking financial relief, but it was a notable loss nonetheless.
Even with Jones’ departure, they still had Calvin Ridley, right? The 2018 first-round pick was coming off a breakout third season in the league, posting 90 catches for 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games played. Pitts and Ridley were now being looked at as the new power grid to the Falcons offense.
That dynamic duo would only play five games alongside one another. On Oct. 31 of that season, Ridley announced he would be stepping away from football due to mental health reasons. That following March, the NFL announced that Ridley would be suspended indefinitely for betting on NFL games, including Falcons games. He was banned for the entire 2022 season and was eventually traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Fittingly, the final game that Pitts and Ridley played together — Week 7 of the 2021 season at Miami — the tight end exploded for seven catches and 163 yards, which is still his single-game career high. Pitts logged just one more 100-yard game for the rest of that season and averaged 50.5 receiving yards per contest.
Pitts finished the year with 1,026 yards receiving (his career high) and was named to the Pro Bowl, but losing those two running mates (particularly Ridley) caused irrevocable damage to his long-term development.
2022: Matt Ryan’s departure, spotty QB play and a knee injury
Ryan’s tenure with the Falcons came to an end after the 2021 season when the club traded for the former NFL MVP to the Indianapolis Colts. That sent off a two-year run of poor quarterback play that Pitts was saddled with, further stunting his development. In the aftermath of trading Ryan, Atlanta signed veteran Marcus Mariota and drafted Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Neither signal-caller was able to take command of the offense, sending the season down the tubes.
Mariota was benched after 13 games and Ridder started the final month. Pitts didn’t play with Ridder down the stretch after landing on injured reserve following their Week 11 matchup with the Chicago Bears due to a torn MCL, which required surgery. That season (10 games played), Pitts had two contests with 80-plus receiving yards and eight with 43 yards or less.
2023: More QB instability
While Pitts certainly shoulders a chunk of the blame for not living up to his potential with the Falcons, he wasn’t given great quarterback play, either. That was on full display during these two years from 2022 to 2023.
During Pitts’ third season, Ridder was given the keys to the offense as the full-time starter but wasn’t able to elevate the unit. Ridder averaged 212.6 passing yards per game and registered six touchdowns and six interceptions in the first eight games of the season before being benched in-game during Week 8 against the Tennessee Titans.
While the Falcons turned the offense over to veteran Taylor Heinicke, it didn’t last long. Heinicke suffered an injury in Week 10, which put Ridder back under center. Ridder finished the year with an 83.4 passer rating, while Heinicke posted a 74.7 passer rating in his four spot starts.
That instability helped result in another quiet year for Pitts, who finished with 53 catches, 667 yards and three touchdowns. The tight end did not reach 90 yards receiving in any of his 17 games played and went under 50 yards receiving 13 times.
2024: Bad fit with new regime
Following a 7-10 season and missing the playoffs for a sixth-straight season, the Falcons fired head coach Arthur Smith, who was hired in the same offseason the team selected Pitts. Atlanta then hired Raheem Morris to be its newest head coach, and he brought in former Rams pass game coordinator Zac Robinson as his offensive coordinator.
This new regime and new offensive system made Pitts a square peg trying to fit into a round hole. Coming from Los Angeles, Robinson didn’t run an offense that prominently featured the tight end position as a pass-catching weapon. Robinson had Tyler Higbee as his top tight end, but Higbee averaged just 558 yards per season when Robinson was the pass game coordinator.
Meanwhile, the offense prioritized running back Bijan Robinson and Drake London while devaluing Pitts. He also didn’t have a ton of chemistry with Michael Penix Jr. after he became the starting quarterback.
Pitts finished the year as the Falcons’ fourth-leading receiver behind London, Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud. He had two games with zero yards receiving, four where he recorded less than 10 yards receiving and 11 games under 50 yards receiving.
2025: Fifth-year option picked up, trade rumors circulate
On April 29, the Falcons elected to pick up Pitts’ fifth-year option, locking him up contractually through the 2026 season. However, where he plays out that contract appears to be in question. Teams have reportedly called the Falcons to inquire about trading for Pitts. While the club reportedly prefers to keep him, it would think about moving him if a Day 2 pick was involved.
Kyle Pitts landing spots: Cowboys, Giants among potential 2025 fits with Falcons reportedly open to trading TE
Cody Benjamin
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