The [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/atlanta-falcons) have brought in a whole new leadership group.
One of the biggest decisions that the likes of Matt Ryan and Kevin Stefanski will have to make involves Kyle Pitts.
The talented tight end is a free agent. He's spent the first five seasons of his career in Atlanta after being a highly touted draft pick.
His rookie season was great, and he was really good in 2025. For the three seasons in between, Pitts was a disappointment.
So what should the Falcons do?
[ESPN's Marc Raimondi](https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/47908741/2026-nfl-franchise-tag-candidates-kyle-pitts-sr-george-pickens-breece-hall), who covers the team year round, thinks the choice should be a bit of a compromise.
He recommends the franchise tag to give Atlanta one more season to figure things out.
"The Falcons might want to tag him and see what he does in 2026 to determine whether they want to give him a big contract to retain him," Raimondi writes.
Pitts seems a bit enigmatic, so there's no sure thing even if they decide that his 2026 season is a good or bad omen.
But pushing the problem down the road doesn't seem to be the worst idea. Keeping Pitts allows the Falcons to maintain a solid passing attack for Stefanski, but doing it in this one-year manner leaves an escape hatch if it doesn't work.
Given the relative lack of other talented tight ends available this offseason, Pitts' status will be one watched by a bunch of teams around the NFL. Atlanta will start a domino effect no matter which direction the Falcons choose to go.
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