Michael Trigg
Getty
Atlanta Falcons tight end Michael Trigg.
The Denver Broncos didn’t pull the trigger on a trade for Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle before the 2025 NFL trade deadline, and it probably cost them a spot in the Super Bowl.
Given the opportunity, the Broncos leapt at acquiring Waddle this offseason, sending a 1st round pick and a 3rd round pick to the Dolphins in what could end up being the most meaningful NFL transaction of the offseason.
In 2026, given the opportunity to acquire another superstar at the trade deadline or before, will the Broncos be willing to make another move?
Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton thinks the Broncos won’t make the same mistake twice and called them the No. 1 trade destination for NFL All-Pro Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts.
At the annual NFL owners meetings in Phoenix this week, Falcons general manager said he would listen to trade offers for the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Pitts, who has played his entire career in Atlanta since he was drafted No. 4 overall in 2021.
“What if the Denver Broncos aren’t done dealing yet?” Moton wrote. ” … With quarterback Bo Nix on a rookie deal, Denver can continue to add playmakers on the offensive side of the ball. Keep in mind that Waddle has a modest cap number of $4.9 million this year. (Pitts) has one touchdown reception in back-to-back seasons and has struggled to find the end zone in his first five seasons with the Falcons, but his touchdown production is slowly trending in the right direction. Every year in the league, he’s upped his season scoring total by one. Perhaps Broncos offensive-minded head coach Sean Payton can unlock Pitts’ full potential in a revamped offense.”
Any of Pitts’ struggles can be easily chalked up to playing with terrible quarterbacks on some terrible teams. It’s not hard to see his upside, especially paired with Nix, as possibly being one of the NFL’s elite tight ends.
Franchise Tag Killed Free Agent Hopes
ESPN’s Matt Bowen had Pitts as the No. 23 overall free agent in the 2026 cycle before the Falcons placed the franchise tag on him in in February.
“Pitts will have options in free agency after he set career highs for receptions (88) and touchdowns (five) in 2025, but I still see a strong fit if he stays put in Atlanta under new coach Kevin Stefanski,” Bowen wrote on February 17. “With heavily defined concepts, Stefanski can set up Pitts to attack open coverage voids off play-action and also create isolation matchups.”
Falcons QBs Have Done Zero to Help Kyle Pitts
Playing with 2 different, erratic starting quarterbacks in Michael Penix Jr. and Kirk Cousins, the 6-foot-6, 250-pound Pitts had 88 receptions for 928 yards and 5 touchdowns on the way to earning NFL All-Pro honors for the first time.
It was his best season since he had 68 receptions for 1,028 yards and 1 touchdown in a Pro Bowl rookie season in 2021.
Pitts, 25 years old, became the highest drafted tight end in NFL history when the Falcons selected him at No. 4 overall in the 2021 NFL draft after he won the Mackey Award at the University of Florida and ran the 40-yard dash in a mind-altering 4.40 seconds at the NFL scouting combine.