New York Giants predicted to trade for Atlanta Falcons TE Kyle Pitts, aiding Jaxson Dart as franchise QB

The New York Giants are rebuilding their offense with their franchise quarterback of the future in mind. Brian Daboll finally has an opportunity to work with a quarterback of his choosing, and in the next season or two, he’ll need to prove to Giants owner John Mara that the team is headed in the right direction.

This is it for Brian Daboll. He has pushed all of his chips in on Dart, who he believes can be the future of the New York Giants. It is understood that it was the Giants’ head coach pushing for the quarterback, and he’ll now aim to develop him the same way he helped to develop Josh Allen with the Buffalo Bills.

To get the best from the young QB, the Giants need playmakers, and the Atlanta Falcons are looking increasingly likely to move on from former fourth overall pick Kyle Pitts.

Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images

The Giants should make the call to Atlanta for Pitts

We don’t yet know when Jaxson Dart is going to feature in New York. It is expected that it will be this year as Daboll needs to be able to show that the franchise drafted the right guy and that he’s developing accordingly.

Russell Wilson is expected to start, while Dart waits in the wings and learns from the two veteran QBs in the room. The Giants brought in both Wilson and Jameis Winston on short-term deals, with the understanding that a rookie quarterback would sit and learn from the pair.

NFL Analysis estimates that it will be at least Week 10 before Dart takes the field, considering the level of competition during the midseason stretch. The Giants will face the Philadelphia Eagles twice in three games in Week 6 and Week 8, with a road game against the Denver Broncos sandwiched in the middle. They then host the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.

Whenever Dart gets to play, he’s going to need pass catchers. New York appears to have found a superstar receiver in Malik Nabers, and Darius Slayton remains a reliable option. Footage has emerged of Dart throwing a strike to Jalin Hyatt, too, who fans are still waiting on for a breakout season.

The wide receiver room has some depth, but the tight end position doesn’t yet have a proven playmaker in the pass game.

Theo Johnson is an aggressive TE, and he’ll continue to play a role in the run game while catching passes here and there.

Kyle Pitts is more of a mismatch tight end whose skillset lends to the pass game, giving Wilson/Dart a great option between the hash markers over the middle of the field.

The Falcons’ playmaker has struggled to find consistency with rotating quarterbacks and is now entering the final year of his rookie contract without a long-term deal in place.

Pitts is being held out of practice right now due to an apparent injury, which Kurt Benkert noted as the kind of thing a franchise does before a player gets traded.

At this point in his career, an opportunity with a new franchise might be the best thing for Pitts, having been a part of a turbulent experience in Atlanta for several years.

Kyle Pitts contract details in 2025

While Kyle Pitts is entering the final year of his deal, that is in fact the fifth-year option of his contract as a first-round draft pick.

Atlanta picked up his fifth-year option a couple of years back, meaning Pitts will make $10.9 million in 2025, according to Spotrac’s model.

The team trading for him will need to agree on an acceptable trade value, while also absorbing the majority, if not all, of that contract, which could be a sticking point in negotiations as things stand right now.

Similarly to the George Pickens trade, any team that does land Pitts this offseason is taking a relatively minimal risk. If he doesn’t play well and leaves for free agency, they lose a mid-round pick.

If he does play well, he either signs an extension with the team or gets paid as one of the best TEs in free agency, at which point the team that traded for him would get a compensatory pick.