Former first-round pick Kyle Pitts has had his name circulating through offseason trade rumors of late and there is a report out there that he would be open to a trade.
The Los Angeles Chargers are still void of a top option at the tight end position after they were unable to land Colston Loveland in the first round of the draft. They did take Oronde Gadsden II in the fifth round, but with Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin as the top options on the depth chart, a playmaker at that position is desired.
Pitts was the highest-drafted tight end in NFL history when he was selected No. 4 overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2021 but he has yet to play at the level of a player drafted that high. Though he has been far from ineffective, his numbers have been pretty average for a No. 1 tight end.
Last season, he caught 47 passes for 602 yards and four touchdowns. Oftentimes, players who begin their careers slowly deal with a lot of injuries. That hasn’t been the case with Pitts. This is why a change of scenery could be in order.
Pitts would be an exciting addition to the Chargers and in this idea, the team sends the Falcons a former first-round pick who has been a bit of a disappointment in his own right. Here is a look at the full trade proposal:
Chargers receive: TE Kyle Pitts
Falcons receive: WR Quentin Johnston, 2026 6th-round pick
In this deal, the Falcons give away Pitts, who is entering the final year of his deal, and take on Johnston, adding him to a receiving corps that could use some depth around Drake London.
The burden would then shift to the Chargers to get a new deal done with Pitts before he becomes a free agent after this season.
The Chargers would be getting a physical, athletic tight end who is still only 24 years old. In a new offense, with Justin Herbert as the quarterback, he could get a new lease on life in the NFL.
This would be an optimal trade for the Chargers after adding Mike Williams in free agency and Tre Harris in the draft this offseason. There is no guarantee that Johnston will be a big part of their offense this year and bringing in Pitts, a player who can be a true No. 1 tight end, would make the Chargers’ offense much more dangerous.
In Atlanta, Johnston could get a chance to reinvent himself as well. He has struggled with drops in L.A. and just hasn’t come close to living up to his first-round draft status, but when the next best wide receivers on the depth chart in Atlanta are Darnell Mooney and Ray-Ray McCloud, there is plenty of room for Johnston to make an impact down south.
Trades like this are fun to talk about and though the odds of it happening a pretty low, this is a deal that could make plenty of sense for both of these teams.
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