The Atlanta Falcons weren’t particularly active before the NFL trade deadline.
On Monday, they made the big Jessie Bates deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars, bringing back both a second-round pick and a fifth-round pick.
But on Tuesday, before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, the Falcons made just one other move — a buzzer-beating trade of their starting center.
Their moves did not include Kyle Pitts, though, after he was surprisingly involved in rumors earlier on Tuesday.
The Athletic’s Josh Kendall noted this in a new article after the Jessie Bates trade, writing this:
“The league’s trade deadline hits at 4 p.m. ET, and the most obvious trade candidate left on the roster is tight end Kyle Pitts, the No. 4 pick in the 2021 draft who signed a three-year, $54 million extension in the offseason. If the Falcons get an offer as good as the one they got for Bates, he could be the next player out the door.”
That put Falcons fans on alert as the trade deadline approached.
But in the end, Pitts stayed put.
Did Kyle Pitts Get Traded?
No, Kyle Pitts did not get traded before Tuesday’s trade deadline.
It always seemed a little unlikely, but the fact that The Athletic’s beat writer covering the Falcons, Josh Kendall, thought it was possible made it seem actually possible.
It didn’t come to pass, though.
Pitts will remain with the Falcons as part of a four-TE rotation that Atlanta has used in recent weeks also including Charlie Woerner, Nick Muse and Austin Hooper.
Why Didn’t Falcons Trade Kyle Pitts?
The obvious reason here is that the Falcons just extended Pitts.
They signed him to a three-year, $54 million contract extension in the offseason. That’s not necessarily a player you rush to trade away.
Of course, there likely wouldn’t have been any Pitts rumors if there was no smoke. Smoke comes from fire, and so there was probably something there.
The Falcons haven’t been perfectly thrilled with Pitts during his time in Atlanta. His inconsistent production has to be frustrating.
So another deduction that can probably be made in the aftermath of the trade deadline is that the Falcons didn’t find an offer they liked enough.
There had been Pitts departure rumors before his extension, and so they arose again with these trade rumors. Both times, the grass was apparently greener in Atlanta than it was anywhere else.
These rumors don’t necessarily bode well for Pitts having a great future with the Falcons, but he remains in Atlanta for now.
Falcons Make Official Kyle Pitts Trade Decision