Kyle Pitts officially signs historic $54 million deal — but not everyone's convinced

Kyle Pitts has put the contract drama to rest. The Atlanta Falcons tight end has officially signed his three-year, $54 million extension, locking him into the franchise through the 2028 season and ending months of speculation about his long-term future with the team.

Falcons make it official: Kyle Pitts signs NFL's biggest three-year TE deal amid doubts

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the contract includes $36 million fully guaranteed, with an $18 million average annual value, making Pitts the third highest-paid tight end in the league, just behind San Francisco's George Kittle and Arizona's Trey McBride.

It's officially the largest three-year contract for a tight end in NFL history. The deal replaces the one-year franchise tag Pitts had signed back in April, worth just over $15 million, and gives both sides certainty heading into the 2026 season after the two parties had until July 15 to strike a long-term agreement.

Why Atlanta wanted him locked in

Pitts was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft, a controversial selection at the time given how rarely tight ends go that high. He repaid that faith almost immediately, racking up 1,026 receiving yards as a rookie, the first 1,000-yard season by a tight end since 1961, and earning a Pro Bowl nod. The three seasons that followed were rockier, with injuries and inconsistency keeping him under 700 yards each year. But 2025 marked a real turnaround: 88 catches, 928 yards and five touchdowns, good enough for an All-Pro Second Team nod and clearly enough to convince the Falcons he's worth building around again.

Not everyone's buying it, though

ESPN's Booger McFarland didn't hold back when asked about the deal, pointing to Pitts' habit of producing only when his pay cheque is on the line: "How many times have we seen a guy have a career year in a contract year? How come you couldn't do that in the previous three years when the contract year wasn't there?" His verdict: "I don't love it because I don't think the player has lived up to what we thought he was going to be... he was just going to be a matchup nightmare. He just hasn't been that just yet."

There's also a quarterback problem hanging over all of it. The Falcons head into training camp with Tua Tagovailoa and Michael Penix Jr. fighting for the starting job, with Penix still working back from his third career ACL tear. Pitts' production has swung wildly depending on who's throwing him the ball in the past, so his next big season is far from guaranteed. And the spending is starting to add up: alongside Drake London's four-year, $141 million deal from earlier this month, and a Bijan Robinson extension reportedly next on the list, Atlanta could end up committing over $74 million in guarantees to just three players, while their entire quarterback room currently costs the team a mere $4.42 million.