“We know what it can be”

The roller coaster ride that encapsulated Kyle Pitts’ first three seasons with the Atlanta Falcons has officially been cleared for two more.

Atlanta picked up Pitts’ fifth-year option on his rookie contract on April 29, keeping the 23-year-old tight end in the red and black through the 2025 season.

Now, the question around Pitts isn’t whether he’ll be a Falcon beyond 2024 – but which version of him will emerge: the player who recorded the second-most receiving yards by a tight end rookie in league history in 2021 or injury. -a riddled pass catcher who has totaled fewer yards in the last two years combined than he did in his first campaign?

Falcons head coach Raheem Morris, hired Jan. 25 to replace Arthur Smith, expects to see Pitts’ 2021 form return this fall.

“He’s really excited about being healthy and so are we,” Morris said. “Getting a healthy Kyle Pitts back gives you a really dynamic player that we have a lot of faith in since we optioned him to let him be part of our immediate and hopefully long-term future.”

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Pitts had a steady 2023 season, catching 53 passes for 667 yards and three touchdowns in 17 games, but he was never quite complete, still battling the effects of an offseason spent rehabilitating and retooling after undergoing surgery on his MCL and PCL during the 2022 season.

Morris has been optimistic about Pitts’ impact since taking office, dubbing the Philadelphia native “the mayor of Atlanta” during the league’s owners’ meetings in late March.

Another essential part of Pitts’ profile is quarterback play; During his decorated rookie season, he played alongside Matt Ryan, the franchise’s all-time leading passer. The Falcons traded Ryan in the spring of 2022, and two years of quarterback instability followed — as did a decline in Pitts’ productivity.

Atlanta signed veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins ​​to a four-year, $180 million contract in free agency, thinking he would be a multiplier, elevating the young core of playmakers around him.

Pitts was one of the Falcons’ biggest internal proponents of such a move – he began recruiting weeks before free agency began, calling Cousins ​​while the four-time Pro Bowler was vacationing at Disney World .

While much of the talk surrounding Atlanta’s quarterbacks has centered around the first-round selection of Cousins’ presumptive successor, Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons remain committed to rolling with Cousins ​​for at least the next two seasons .

And with that, success will come for Pitts, Morris believes — which could unlock a new element in Atlanta’s offense.

“If we can get this guy going, we all know what he could be,” Morris said. “And that’s a coach’s job, to find out what a player can be and then get the best out of him. I hope myself, my team and all of our coaches can get the best out of Kyle Pitts because it would be really good for all of us.

After exercising Pitts’ option, the Falcons know they have at least two years to get him started — but they expect success to come much sooner than that.

And with a full offseason and a veteran quarterback in the fold, it just might happen in Week 1.