Thursday Night Football in Week 15 turned out to be a stunner. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted the Atlanta Falcons, only to get beat in the final moments of the game thanks to a walk-off field goal.
For once, the Falcons put away a game in the fourth quarter and in the final seconds. And to top it off, it came on a game-sealing 43-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez. Atlanta has done none of those things this season, which is why they’re out of playoff contention at 5-9.
Nevertheless, the talk coming out of the 29-28 victory was who scored three of their four touchdowns: Kyle Pitts. The former first-rounder had a career game with 11 receptions for 166 yards and three touchdowns, making him the first tight end with 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns in a game since Shannon Sharpe in 1996, according to ESPN Insights.
Pitts looked unstoppable, making grab after grab as Kirk Cousins — in his fifth start of the season — made him his clear go-to target.
Kyle Pitts Career Game Sets Up Big Decision For Falcons
It certainly wasn’t the prettiest performance from the Falcons, but there was a lot of good that came from it in terms of potential long-term outlook — with Pitts possibly at the top of that list.
Pitts helped Cousins, who threw for a season-high 373 yards and three touchdowns, regain some of the confidence he’ll need if he hopes to remain a starting quarterback next season. Whether that’s in Atlanta or not remains to be seen. But that’s a question for Pitts as well.
Pitts is in the final year of his rookie deal, making him a possible free agent after the 2025 season. The Falcons will obviously have first dibs, with the option to offer an extension. The question is whether they will.
It took Pitts 75 games to deliver a performance like he did against the Buccaneers in Week 15. That was the version of Pitts Atlanta believed it was getting when they drafted him No. 8 overall in 2021. With his three touchdowns Thursday night, he tied his season-high mark with four. He now has 14 career touchdowns.
Will Falcons Offer Kyle Pitts a New Contract?
Is one breakout performance in the final stretch of his fifth season enough to push the Falcons toward an extension offer? It’s also worth noting that the game against Tampa Bay meant nothing in the NFC standings with Atlanta already eliminated from playoff contention.
Pitts is still just 25 years old, with plenty of productive seasons ahead of him. Consistency and injuries have been his greatest issues, but not all of his struggles have been his fault. Atlanta’s offenses since he arrived have rarely put him in ideal situations, with uncertainty at the quarterback position being the biggest problem.
If the Falcons do pursue an extension, Spotrac projects Pitts’ market value at four years, $47 million, with an average annual salary of $11.8 million. That would put him in line with tight ends such as Chicago Bears‘ Cole Kmet (four years, $50 million) and Pittsburgh Steelers’ Pat Freiermuth (four years, $48.4 million).
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