Farewell Freddie Freeman, Can Falcons' Kyle Pitts Become Next Atlanta Great?

The Falcons tight end put up historic numbers in his rookie season and could be on his way.

Jeremy Brener | Mar 17, 2022

Atlanta sports fans are mourning the departure of Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman this week after more than a decade with the franchise.

Freddie Freeman, Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts

Freeman, 32, debuted for the Braves in 2010, and became the biggest sports star in Atlanta alongside Matt Ryan.

Freeman unofficially clinched that title after winning a World Series with the Braves last October, while Ryan has been unable to snag a championship in his 14 years in the city.

But before Freeman officially walked out and signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the team traded for and extended All-Star first baseman Matt Olson for eight years, the search for a new face of Atlanta sports is on.

While players like shortstop Dansby Swanson and point guard Trae Young have strong cases to be Atlanta's next sports icon, the Atlanta Falcons have a strong nominee in tight end Kyle Pitts, who shattered records in his rookie season last year.

Pitts caught 68 passes for 1,026 yards last season, making him the second rookie tight end in NFL history to log 1,000 yards alongside Hall of Famer Mike Ditka.

Kyle Pitts

Kyle Pitts

The future is incredibly bright for Pitts, who just turned 21 last October. He'll spend at least the next four years in Atlanta, and if he continues along this trajectory, he'll likely be here for longer.

Freeman left some rather large shoes to fill and capped off his Atlanta legacy with a title, but when Pitts is on your team, your chances of winning increase a little bit. Will that lead to a title someday? There's only one way to find out.

Published Mar 17, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.