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The Atlanta Falcons are expected to use their franchise tag on soon-to-be free agent Kyle Pitts, which would keep the tight end around for at least one more season. The franchise tag helps teams retain key players by giving them a one-year, fully guaranteed contract in line with the five highest-paid players at the position.
The Falcons don't have a huge free agent class, and Pitts was easily the biggest name on the list. The 25-year-old is coming off an 88-catch, 928-yard season in which he led the team in receiving yards. Pitts has racked up 284 catches for 3,579 receiving yards and five touchdowns over five seasons in Atlanta.
So, how will franchise-tagging the former No. 4 overall pick impact the Falcons' salary cap in 2026?
According to Over The Cap's projections, Pitts is set to earn $16,319,000 this season on the franchise tag. That would account for more than half of the team's current salary cap space. The Falcons currently have around $26,462,519 available.
If we subtract Pitts' fully-guaranteed salary of $16.3 million from Atlanta's current cap total of $26.4 million, it leaves the team with just over $10.1 million in cap space for the 2026 NFL season.
The Falcons can't do very much with $10 million, but they can still create more cap space by restructuring contracts. Per OTC's projections, the team could free up over $60 million through basic restructures.
First-year Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has his work cut out for him, and without a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team exercise all options this offseason.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons franchise tag Kyle Pitts: Updated salary cap numbers
Continue reading...
The Falcons don't have a huge free agent class, and Pitts was easily the biggest name on the list. The 25-year-old is coming off an 88-catch, 928-yard season in which he led the team in receiving yards. Pitts has racked up 284 catches for 3,579 receiving yards and five touchdowns over five seasons in Atlanta.
So, how will franchise-tagging the former No. 4 overall pick impact the Falcons' salary cap in 2026?
How much will Falcons pay Kyle Pitts on franchise tag?
According to Over The Cap's projections, Pitts is set to earn $16,319,000 this season on the franchise tag. That would account for more than half of the team's current salary cap space. The Falcons currently have around $26,462,519 available.
If we subtract Pitts' fully-guaranteed salary of $16.3 million from Atlanta's current cap total of $26.4 million, it leaves the team with just over $10.1 million in cap space for the 2026 NFL season.
Falcons' remaining salary cap space: $10.1 million
The Falcons can't do very much with $10 million, but they can still create more cap space by restructuring contracts. Per OTC's projections, the team could free up over $60 million through basic restructures.
First-year Falcons general manager Ian Cunningham has his work cut out for him, and without a first-round pick in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft, we wouldn't be surprised to see the team exercise all options this offseason.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: Falcons franchise tag Kyle Pitts: Updated salary cap numbers
Continue reading...
