Falcons $58 million pending free agent predicted to leave Atlanta for Dolphins originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Atlanta Falcons are turning the page to a new chapter in 2026 after the team fired Raheem Morris and replaced him with Kevin Stefanski.
With a new head coach and general manager (the Falcons are still interviewing candidates) coming aboard, that could change the team’s offseason plans.
Knowing that, it’s fair to wonder if tight end Kyle Pitts’ chances of returning are now worse. After all, the general manager who drafted him, Terry Fontenot, was shown the door along with Morris after the 2025 campaign.
If you ask Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay, he predicts Pitts, who is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career, will leave the Falcons and sign with the Miami Dolphins.
Here’s Kay’s thoughts on his prediction:
While there are plenty of other question marks for the new Miami regime led by head coach Jeff Hafley to sort out, getting a potential game-changer like Pitts in the lineup could pay dividends.
Regardless of whether Tua Tagovailoa, Quinn Ewers or someone else ends up starting under center for Miami in 2026, Pitts should emerge as a favored target thanks to his excellent playmaking skills and ability to create mismatches all over the field.
On the surface, Pitts, who is projected by Spotrac to receive a four-year, $58 million deal, looks primed to get a huge payday in free agency.
That’s because Pitts had his best year since his rookie campaign after finishing with 928 receiving yards and a career-high five touchdowns while also showing he’s capable of being the elite playmaker he was billed as coming out of college.
However, Pitts did a lot of his damage near the end of the season, as more than half of his yards and four of his touchdowns came over his final six games.
Adding to that, Pitts was extremely disappointing in the three years prior after his rookie campaign.
When putting it all together, Pitts’ market may not be as robust in terms of big-money offers as some suspect it will be.
Regardless, it’s logical to think Pitts could end up in Miami, where the Dolphins have a hole at the tight end position.
Both Darren Waller and Greg Dulcich are pending free agents and the Dolphins shouldn’t rely on either one to be their TE1 in 2026.
No matter what version of Pitts shows up in the years ahead, he’d still amount to an upgrade over both players, and he could end up being a bargain if his market doesn’t shake out the way the former No. 4 overall pick might expect it to.
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