Ex-Florida Gators TE Kyle Pitts Signs a $32.9 Million Contract with Atlanta Falcons

has one of the most lucrative deals in the NFL when tight ends are concerned

ATLANTA, GEORGIA – Kyle Pitts, who had spent three seasons in Florida as a Gators tight end, has inked a deal with the NFL franchise Atlanta Falcons. His contract will last at least four years during which he’ll receive $32.9m.

With almost $30 million fully guaranteed, the 20-year-old now has one of the most lucrative deals in the NFL when tight ends are concerned. In fact, the Philadelphia-born rising star has the highest guaranteed contract of all TEs in the league.

Becoming One of NFL’s Highest-Paid TEs

The #Falcons have signed first-round TE Kyle Pitts to his rookie contract. He gets a 4-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $32.91M, along with a 5th-year option. His signing bonus comes in at $21.29M.

— NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) June 29, 2021

After three impressive seasons at the University of Florida, Kyle Pitt decided to enter the 2021 NFL Draft, which proved to be the right decision. He was selected as the fourth overall pick by the Atlanta Falcons, which made him the highest-drafted tight end in the history of the league.

Two months after the draft, Pitts came to terms with the Falcons, inking his contract on Tuesday, June 28. The contract in question is historic for a number of reasons, starting with the fact that he now has the highest guaranteed contract of all the tight ends in the NFL. 

His guaranteed pay is more than $9m higher than George Kittle’s, who’s the league’s highest-paid TE (with a contract value of $75m). Kyle Pitts is also the tight end with the highest signing bonus. As reported on Vegas Odds, the youngster gets $21.29 right away as per the conditions of his contract with Atlanta.

Kyle Pitts’ Journey from Florida to NFL

The year 2018 was when Pitt’s football journey started. That’s when moved away from his native state of Pennsylvania, where he played for Archbishop Wood. Pitts committed to the University of Florida as the 253rd overall recruit in the 2018 class, giving him limited playing time that year.

In fact, he played only three games in 2018, hauling in only three receptions for a total of 73 yards, and one touchdown. It was his second year as a Gator TE that saw him boosting his numbers. In 2019, he played 13 games, receiving 54 passes for 649 yards. In those 13 games, Pitts scored five TDs for Florida.

He upped his numbers drastically in the following year. Despite playing only eight games in 2020, Pitts established himself as one of the best footballers in the nation. While he’s years away from any Hall of Fame status, that season we saw him making 43 successful receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns.

Such impressive figures put Pitts in the conversation for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is awarded to the best receiver in the nation, regardless of the position. Although he didn’t win the award, Pitts did make it to the final selection. That made him the first tight end in history to do so.

DeVonta Smith, who played for Arizona last year, grabbed that award. However, Pitts did get a couple of accolades in 2020, most notably the John Mackey Award for the “most outstanding tight end.” The same year, he was selected as a unanimous All-American.

Atlanta Putting Their Hopes in the Former Florida Man

Julio Jones left a huge hole in the Atlanta Falcons offense after leaving for the Tennessee Titans a few weeks ago. Their way of filling that hole was to sign one of the most talented prospects in America, even if that meant giving the rookie an eye-popping contract.

Even though Pitts doesn’t play in the same position as Jones, the Falcons are putting their hopes in the youngster. It’s very likely we’ll see him slot in the starting lineup from the very first game of the season – the former Florida TD is expected to make his NFL debut in Atlanta’s Week 1 game against the Philadelphia Eagles.

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