A couple of days after the 2024 NFL Draft concluded, the Atlanta Falcons decided to exercise the fifth-year option on Kyle Pitts' rookie contract.
With Pitts locked in through 2025, head coach Raheem Morris believes the tight end can elevate to contribute at his best now and hopefully for the next couple of seasons.
"He's very excited about being healthy, and so are we," Morris said Friday, via The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. "Getting a healthy Kyle Pitts gives you a really dynamic player that we believe in a lot. Hence, the picking up of his option (and) letting him be a part of our immediate and hopefully our long-term future."
The No. 4 overall pick in the 2021 draft, Pitts had a stellar rookie campaign with quarterback Matt Ryan, recording 68 receptions for 1,026 receiving yards and one touchdown in 17 games while making the Pro Bowl.
However, Atlanta went into rebuild mode following that season and traded Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick.
Pitts' last two years have not been the same production-wise with inconsistent quarterback play in Atlanta. Since Ryan's departure, the Falcons have gone through a QB cycle of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder and Taylor Heinicke, and Pitts has totaled 81 receptions for 1,023 yards and five TDs during that span.
With Kirk Cousins signing a four-year, $180 million contract, the Falcons hope a veteran QB can get Pitts back to his Pro Bowl form in 2024.
"If we can get this guy going, we all know what he could be," Morris said. "That's the job of the coach, to find out what a player can be and go get the best out of him. Hopefully, myself, along with my staff, and all of our coaches, we can go and get the best version of Kyle Pitts because that will be really good for all of us."
