It’s been well-known for some time that the Atlanta Falcons would be open to trading former first-round pick Kyle Pitts. The 24-year-old tight end is entering the fifth-year option of his contract and so far he hasn’t been worth his selection with the fourth-overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter believes that the Falcons are listening to offers, but they aren’t necessarily eager to move him.
“There also have been teams that have approached the Falcons about trading for Kyle Pitts,” Schefter said Tuesday on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “Now, I don’t think the Falcons are looking to deal him, but they’re not turning away the calls either.
“So, if there were a team that were willing to give up enough to get him, I think that they could be enticed into trading the former top five overall selection to another team.”
He was fourth overall, but who is counting?
“I don’t think they would be willing to give him up unless they got ample compensation, whatever that may be,” Schefter said. “I’m guessing, hypothetically, a third-round pick. That’s what they would be looking for, in my mind.”
A third-round pick could be pretty high for a team looking to deal for Pitts, especially since they probably aren’t looking for a one-year rental. That team would have to know that they would also have to pay him with a contract extension.
Who would play tight end if Pitts is traded?
As Schefter says, the Falcons aren’t looking to trade Pitts just to trade him. They’d be left awfully thin at the tight end position and that wouldn’t be good news for Falcons’ first-year starter Michael Penix. Young quarterbacks tend to lean on tight ends as a safety valve.
The Falcons have five other tight ends on their roster currently: Charlie Woerner, Feleipe Franks, Teagan Quitoriano, Nikola Kalinic and Joshua Simon, who is an undrafted rookie free agent.
Regardless of one’s opinion of Pitts’ on-field performance, it’s tough to see any of these other tight ends being the potential threat that he is. Pitts is young and athletic and still has a lot of upside. It’s easy to see the Falcons waiting to be bowled over by an offer.
Pitts has been sideline with an injury
The latest news on Pitts is that he’s been sidelined at OTAs with a foot injury. Schefter provided the update just a few days ago.
“While there has been speculation about his future in Atlanta, Falcons TE Kyle Pitts hasn’t been practicing at OTAs due to a strained muscle in his foot, per source,” Schefter tweeted (yes, on X).
Head coach Raheem Morris said that the team is being “extremely” careful with the injury.
“Extremely cautious with Kyle right now and what he’s got going on,” Morris said. “Obviously you don’t talk about injuries this time of year, but definitely being cautious with him. You won’t see him. He’s been here. He’s done such a great job of all the stuff that we’ve asked of him. He’s been in every single meeting. He’s been in every single thing that we’ve done other than the field. And he’s been absolutely outstanding to be around.”
If he’s definitely hurt then – depending on the severity of the strained foot muscle – the Falcons will have a tough time moving him. It’s pretty well known in professional sports that teams don’t trade for injured players. So, don’t expect much movement on the trade front until he’s fully healthy.
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