The Kansas City Chiefs’ offense, led by the electrifying Patrick Mahomes, is on a mission to reclaim its throne as the NFL’s most feared unit. While the Chiefs remain a powerhouse, their passing game could use an extra spark to elevate it back to its dominant peak. Enter a bold trade proposal from Bleacher Report analyst Mitch Milani, who dropped a tantalizing idea on his B/R NFL Daily Live Show on June 24: acquiring Atlanta Falcons’ tight end Kyle Pitts to become Mahomes’ next game-changing weapon.
A Blockbuster Trade Idea
Milani’s pitch is simple yet audacious: the Chiefs send a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick to Atlanta for Pitts, the 6-foot-6 former top-five draft pick who has yet to fully unleash his potential in the NFL. The logic behind the move starts with an undeniable reality—Travis Kelce, the Chiefs’ legendary tight end, is nearing the twilight of his career, with retirement looming as early as 2026. Pitts, Milani argues, could be the heir apparent to Kelce’s throne.
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“Kyle Pitts could be the next guy,” Milani enthused. “Wouldn’t that be so savvy of the Chiefs to acquire a former top-five pick at a position like tight end?” When Pitts entered the league in 2021, experts heralded him as the next Rob Gronkowski or even Kelce himself—a towering, athletic pass-catcher with the potential to dominate. While Pitts flashed brilliance with a 1,000-yard rookie season, his production has since dipped, with a lackluster 2024 campaign where he ranked as the 44th-graded tight end, struggled with yards after catch, and posted a dismal passer rating when targeted.
But Milani believes the issue lies not with Pitts’ talent but with how he’s been utilized in Atlanta. “A lot of Falcons fans would agree that Kyle Pitts has been poorly treated and poorly utilized,” he noted. Enter Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, a master at unlocking the potential of athletic tight ends.
A Perfect Fit for Andy Reid’s System
Reid has a storied history of molding pass-catching tight ends into stars, with Kelce as the gold standard. The Chiefs consistently target athletic tight ends who excel as receivers rather than blockers, from past experiments like Jody Fortson and Demetrius Harris to recent additions like Geor’Quarius Spivey and second-year draft pick Jared Wiley. Pitts, with his 6’6” frame and jaw-dropping athleticism, fits this mold perfectly.
“Why not give [Pitts] to a team with Andy Reid, who has used Travis Kelce magnificently?” Milani asked. He envisions Pitts thriving in Kansas City, where Reid’s creative play-calling would put him in one-on-one matchups, maximize his run-and-catch ability, and unleash his untapped potential. Pitts’ skillset, Milani argues, isn’t far off from Kelce’s, especially if he gets the chance to learn directly from the future Hall of Famer before Kelce hangs up his cleats.
In this scenario, Pitts would likely replace Wiley as the Chiefs’ primary pass-catching tight end of the future, while Noah Gray, a versatile blocker and receiver, remains the team’s top dual-threat option at the position.
The Financial and Strategic Angle
Pitts is entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, with a manageable cap hit of $10.878 million in 2025. However, to justify parting with draft capital, the Chiefs would likely pursue a contract extension to lock in Pitts long-term while lowering his immediate cap impact. At just 25 years old (he turns 25 in October 2025), Pitts still has plenty of runway to grow into the superstar many projected him to be.
This trade aligns perfectly with general manager Brett Veach’s track record of taking calculated risks on former high-end draft picks who haven’t fully panned out elsewhere. Pitts, a former No. 4 overall pick, fits the bill as a high-upside reclamation project. The key question is whether Reid believes he can fix Pitts’ inconsistencies and mold him into the next great Chiefs tight end.
A Move That Could Redefine the Chiefs’ Offense
Acquiring Kyle Pitts would be a statement move for Kansas City, signaling their intent to keep Mahomes’ arsenal loaded with elite weapons. Pairing Pitts with Kelce for a season could create a nightmare for opposing defenses, with Pitts learning the nuances of Reid’s system while Kelce still commands attention. If Pitts can rediscover the form that made him a 1,000-yard rookie, the Chiefs’ passing attack could once again strike fear across the NFL.
The proposed trade—a fourth- and sixth-round pick for a player of Pitts’ pedigree—feels like a steal for Kansas City if Reid can work his magic. With training camp on the horizon, all eyes will be on whether Veach and Reid pull the trigger on this blockbuster move to secure Mahomes’ next big weapon.