Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts | REUTERS
If there's one thing we learned from the Atlanta Falcons' decision to trade Jessie Bates to the Jacksonville Jaguars, it's that the Falcons are going to be sellers before the 4:00 p.m. trade deadline. They're 3-6 and have lost four of five and have the NFL's toughest schedule across the next month--it's safe to say while still open, their chances of winning the NFC South are relatively slim.
Atlanta traded Bates in exchange for a 2027 second-round pick and a 2028 fifth-rounder, which feels like a Godfather offer for a 29-year-old safety entering a contract year, But this deal also signaled that Ian Cunningham is committing to a rebuild and there should be patience with the new regime.
With that in mind, the fire-sale isn't over--it's only just beginning.
The question on the mind of every Falcons fan right now is who is going to be next. Could it be Divine Deablo? Or Mike Hughes? Maybe Tua Tagovailoa? Bates was the most tradeable asset this team had, so from here, it's anybody's guess what's coming, but here's another name who it could be: Kyle Pitts.
And boy would that be a shock, but would it really? Pitts has arguably been the biggest disappointment on the team this season. He's caught 25 passes for 220 yards and four touchdowns this season, and after the career year he had last season, he hasn't been involved much this season.
Kyle Pitts could be the next Atlanta Falcons cornerstone to get traded after Jessie Bates
I know the Falcons signed Pitts to a three-year, $54 million contract extension this past offseason, but they haven't exactly got their money's worth on that deal. They made him the third-highest paid tight end in the NFL, yet you could genuinely argue that he hasn't even been a top-10 TE this season.
The former top-five pick has has quietly been phased out of the offense. Not only is he stuck behind Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and now Jahan Dotson in the pecking order, he's now ceding snaps to Austin Hooper, Nick Muse, and Charlie Woerner. What a waste of $18 million a year he has been.
For all of the talk that Kevin Stefanski and Tommy Rees love tight ends, they seem to love all of the other TEs on the roster more than Kyle Pitts. He's only played 59% of the snaps in 2026, likely because he isn't much of a run blocker compared to these other three, but still, if a contending team is looking for a pass-catcher, you'd have to think they would consider it.
Maybe the Dirty Birds are feeling introspective after watching Ja'Marr Chase decimate their defense in Madrid knowing they could've drafted him over Pitts with the No. 4 pick in 2021. The last six years have been as inconsistent as it gets, and this new regime has made it clear nothing is off the table.
Say someone offers a second-round pick for the 26-year-old, it would be foolish for Ian Cunningham to turn it down considering how much he supposedly loves draft picks. But given any team who acquires him would take on over $18 million in dead cap this year and over $17 million in dead cap next year, Atlanta would likely have to consider eating some of the money to get a possible deal done.
Kyle Pitts' Falcons career has been defined by what-ifs and what could've beens, and while the talent and the upside are still there, it feels feasible that he could become the next victim of Atlanta's trade deadline sale after the Jessie Bates trade.