The Atlanta Falcons are locking Kyle Pitts down.
The Falcons reached a three-year, $54 million contract extension with their tight end on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The deal includes $36 million fully guaranteed, and it’s the largest three-year contract for a tight end in NFL history.
As a result, Pitts will not play on the franchise tag this season after all. The Falcons placed the tag on Pitts in February while continuing negotiations for a new contract. He would have made a little more than $15 million this season on the tag. He played last season on the $10.9 million fifth-year team option of his initial rookie deal.
Now with the new deal in place, Pitts will earn $18 million per year over the next three seasons. That will make him the third highest-paid tight end in the league. San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle and Arizona Cardinals tight end Trey McBride each make $19 million per season.
Pitts recorded 68 catches for 1,026 yards and a touchdown during his rookie season after the Falcons selected him with the No. 4 overall pick out of Florida. He’s yet to surpass the 1,000-yard mark again, though he bounced back significantly last season while racking up 928 yards and five touchdowns on 88 catches. Only McBride racked up more receiving yards among tight ends in the league. Pitts pulled that off while quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins largely struggled to run the offense in Atlanta, too. The team went just 8-9 and missed the playoffs for an eighth straight season.
This post will be updated with more information shortly.
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