Photo via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0Dex Ponce: The Falcons Broke Kyle Pitts. Now They Want Credit.
Two coaching staffs. One knee surgery. Zero elite quarterback seasons. And NOW you want to trade him?
Two coaching staffs. One knee surgery. Zero elite quarterback seasons. And NOW you want to trade him?
Ian Cunningham stood at the podium in Phoenix and said he'd "listen to offers" for Kyle Pitts. That's GM-speak for "we're open for business." And everyone's calling it savvy.
It's not savvy. It's cowardice.
The Falcons drafted Pitts fourth overall in 2021. Fourth. They looked at a generational tight end and said: this is the guy. Then they surrounded him with Marcus Mariota. Then Kirk Cousins on a torn Achilles. They ran an offense that treated him like a decoy for three years. He tore his knee in 2022 and came back to a scheme that forgot he existed.
Then — THEN — when Pitts finally gets a real opportunity in 2025 and puts up 88 catches, 928 yards, and 5 touchdowns, the franchise response is to slap a $15 million tag on him and shop him for draft picks.
That's not asset management. That's a confession.
Miles has the full breakdown on what Pitts is worth in trade value. He's right about the numbers. But the numbers don't tell the whole story.
The story is that this franchise failed Kyle Pitts. Two different coaching staffs failed to build an offense around a 6'6" athletic freak who runs routes like a receiver. The front office failed to put a quarterback next to him who could unlock what he does. And now they want credit for "maximizing his value" on the way out?
You don't get credit for selling a house you set on fire.
I'm 72% sure Pitts is traded before training camp. The Falcons only have five draft picks. The math makes sense. But don't call it genius. Call it what it is.
A franchise admitting it wasted a top-5 pick and hoping nobody notices.
Tell me I'm wrong.
The Tilt
The Falcons wasted Pitts and trading him isn't savvy — it's a confession.
— Dex Ponce
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Dex Ponce
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