Source: Falcons plan to place franchise tag on TE Kyle Pitts - ESPN

The Atlanta Falcons plan to place the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts Sr., likely keeping one of the top tight ends in the league under contract for at least one more season, a source told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler on Monday.

Franchise tag contract numbers are based on the top five annual salaries at each position. Pitts stands to make about $16,319,000 in 2026, the franchise tag salary this year for tight ends, according to OverTheCap.com. Pitts and the Falcons will have until July 15 to agree to a long-term contract or else he will have to play the 2026 season under the franchise tender.

The deadline for teams to use the franchise or transition tag is next Tuesday with free agency beginning the week after.

Pitts, 25, finished second among tight ends in receptions (88) and receiving yards (928) last season, trailing behind only Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals. Pitts added a career-high five touchdown catches. He was voted as AP second-team All-Pro.

It marked a major rebound year, including one of the best games ever for a tight end. Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in December, Pitts had 11 catches for 166 yards and three touchdowns, becoming the first tight end to reach at least 150 yards with three touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996.

Pitts struggled with injuries and inconsistency from 2022 to 2024 after a record-breaking rookie season in 2021. Pitts had 1,026 yards on 68 catches in his first year. He was the first tight end to reach 1,000 yards as a rookie since Mike Ditka in 1961 and the first tight end to make the Pro Bowl since Jeremy Shockey in 2002.

Matt Ryan was Pitts' quarterback during that standout season and now Ryan is the Falcons' new president of football. Ryan led the search