Falcons GM Terry Fontenot Puts Kyle Pitts on Notice Entering Contract Year

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts hasn't produced a 100-yard game since Dec. 26, 2021.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts appeared to have found himself at midseason but instead hit a second-half lull.
Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts appeared to have found himself at midseason but instead hit a second-half lull. / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Terry Fontenot swung for the fences with his first pick as the Atlanta Falcons' general manager, and he appeared to hit a home run when Kyle Pitts, the highest drafted tight end in NFL history at No. 4 overall, eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards as a rookie in 2021.

But in the three years since, Fontenot's once-promising fly ball has steadily lost more and more air -- and now seems drifting into the outfielder's proverbial glove.

The 24-year-old Pitts caught 47 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns this season. He set a new career high in touchdowns, but he saw fewer targets (74) than he did in 2023 (90) and subsequently had fewer receptions and receiving yards.

Pitts hasn't reached 700 yards, let alone 1,000, since his rookie season -- and Fontenot, during his end-of-season press conference Thursday, acknowledged Pitts hasn't taken a step forward statistically over the past three years.

"When you take a player that high in the draft, obviously you expect a certain level," Fontenot said. "We understand that Kyle had a really good rookie year, and he hasn't equaled or exceeded that production since then. So, there's no excuses we're making about it."

At one point, such a conversation about Pitts's season seemed unlikely.

After a slow first month to the year, Pitts starred in October. He made 21 receptions for 314 yards and caught a pair of touchdowns in the month-ending victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Oct. 27.

The problem, however, is Pitts roughly equaled that production in Atlanta's other 13 games combined.

From Weeks 1-4, Pitts caught eight passes for 105 yards and one touchdown. From Weeks 9-18, Pitts hauled in 18 passes for 183 yards and one touchdown. Across those 13 games, he totaled 26 receptions for 288 yards and two scores.

During the Falcons' final seven games, Pitts made only 13 catches for 117 yards and one touchdown on 25 targets. His touchdown was significant -- it marked rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s first as a professional and helped the Falcons force overtime against the Washington Commanders in Week 17 -- but he failed to eclipse 45 receiving yards in a game from Nov. 17 onward.

In the midst of Pitts's rough closing stretch, Falcons head coach Raheem Morris called him an "explosive guy." But Pitts had an average depth of target of only 8.6 yards, according to Pro Football Reference, which was the fourth-highest mark among Atlanta's receivers with at least 12 targets.

To Morris's point, Pitts averaged 5.8 yards after catch per reception, second-most in the same criteria when subtracting running backs. Morris cited Pitts's controversial 49-yard catch-and-run touchdown against the Buccaneers in Week 8, during which he maneuvered through and past several defenders en route to the endzone.

But this usage of Pitts is dependent on him catching the ball in advantageous positions and making his few targets count.

"Kyle is not like a volume catcher. He's not the check down guy. He's not the outlet that most tight ends are," Morris said Dec. 12. "He's really a big play guy. He's really a big play receiver. He's really a big play tight end. And when he gets an opportunity to get those things, he goes off and explodes."

Pitts had two games with seven receptions -- Oct. 3 against the Buccaneers and Oct. 20 against the Seattle Seahawks -- but finished with four or fewer catches in his other 15 appearances.

Morris compared Pitts to three-time Pro Bowl receiver DeSean Jackson in terms of skill set. Morris didn't directly coach Jackson, but the two were together with Washington in 2014 and again with the Los Angeles Rams in 2021.

"DeSean Jackson could have two catches for 180 yards and then he can disappear the rest of the day and where Kyle can do that," Morris said. "Now, Kyle can do some of the other things as well. It's just with our offense, it's kind of evolved where you got five guys with 400 plus receiving yards."

Falcons receiver Drake London finished third in the NFL in targets (158) and fourth in receiving yards (1,271), while wideout Darnell Mooney tallied 992 receiving yards. Slot receiver Ray-Ray McCloud III had a career-high 686 yards, and running back Bijan Robinson finished with 431 receiving yards.

"You got guys that just catch the ball in volume," Morris said. "Whether it's Bijan, whether it's Ray-Ray, whether it's Kyle, whether it's Mooney, whether it's Drake. And not to mention the guy that had the walk off versus Tampa for us [Hodge]."

Among tight ends league wide, Pitts was 16th in targets (74), 22nd in receptions (47) and 13th in receiving yards (602) and touchdowns (four). He had seven plays of 20-plus yards, which was tied for the eighth-most, while his 12.8 yards per receptions was ninth-most among those with at least 10 targets.

ESPN Analytics calculated Pitts's open rate at 33, which was 148th out of 154 eligible receivers.

The Falcons picked up the fifth-year option in Pitts's rookie contract, meaning he has at least one more season in Atlanta with $10.9-million guaranteed in 2025. Fontenot's hoping Pitts returns to form in his contract year -- or else, his first draft pick's tenure may ultimately end as a swing-and-miss like much of Falcons' 2021 draft class.

"At this point, just like any other player, Kyle has to make sure he's doing everything he can do this offseason to get the best version of himself," Fontenot said. "We have to make sure we're supporting him and helping him develop in those areas and make sure we're doing everything to get the best out of him so he can help this team win football games. That's what's most important right now."


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Daniel Flick
DANIEL FLICK

Daniel Flick is an accredited NFL writer for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Daniel has provided boots-on-ground coverage at the NFL Combine and from the Atlanta Falcons' headquarters, among other destinations, and contributed to the annual Lindy's Sports Magazine ahead of the 2023 offseason. Daniel is a co-host on the 404TheFalcon podcast and previously wrote for the Around the Block Network and Georgia Sports Hospitality Media.