After enduring some trade chatter going into the 2026 NFL Draft, the Atlanta Falcons decided to keep their star tight end Kyle Pitts and sign him to a contract extension. Pitts’ new deal is for three more years and is worth up to $54 million, making him the third-highest paid player in the league at his position.
it can be argued that Pitts’ contract is a bit of an overpay – the same as the four-year, $141 million deal that the Falcons gave wide receiver Drake London. Not by much, though.
Heading into his sixth season as a pro, Pitts is well-established as a top-10 producer at his position and should continue to be going forward. In NFL.com’s fantasy football rankings for tight ends this year Pitts came in the second tier at No. 7 overall.
“Kyle Pitts believes his best football is still ahead of him after signing an extension that makes him one of the highest-paid players at his position. I’m tempted to buy in, but the potential for instability at quarterback in Atlanta gives me pause. Pitts could be a solid value pick if fantasy managers don’t reach for him after the first tier of TEs are off the board.”
The question marks at quarterback are definitely giving fantasy owners some pause – at least those that don’t own running back Bijan Robinson – who’s expected to be the consensus No. 1 overall pick in 2026.
It’s also worth mentioning that Pitts has put up some really good numbers when healthy despite having near constant instability at quarterback his entire career. In his rookie season Pitts got to work with Matt Ryan, then had to slog through a year of Marcus Mariota, followed by a year of Desmond Ridder. The last two seasons Atlanta’s QB reps have been split between Kirk Cousins and Michael Penix.
We are likely in for more of the same this season, but when Pitts has played all 17 games (four out of five years) he’s never posted less than 47 catches or 602 receiving yards. His touchdown totals have also gone up every single season he’s been in the NFL.
Pitts’ best numbers last year came when Drake London was on injured reserve, and rookie Zachariah Branch may eat into some of those short yardage targets that he thrived at in 2025. However, that’s far from a guarantee and as yet no other receiver has proven themselves worthy of a true WR2 role behind London. Pitts isn’t going to outscore Brock Bowers, but he should be considered a steady and solid TE1 in most leagues.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Where does Kyle Pitts belong in fantasy football tight end rankings?
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