Who Should I Start? Kyle Pitts Sr. or Drake Maye

Tuesday, February 24, 1:07 PM

The Atlanta Falcons officially placed the franchise tag on tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. on Tuesday, according to Tori McElhaney of AtlantaFalcons.com. It's just the fourth time in franchise history that the team has used the franchise tag, with defensive tackle Grady Jarrett the last recipient of the tag in 2019. Officially, the tag is a non-exclusive franchise tag, which means Pitts "is free to negotiate with other teams." It buys the Falcons and new general manager Ian Cunningham a little more time to evaluate what they want for the future of Pitts in Atlanta. The projected franchise tag value for TEs in 2026 is around $16 million. The 25-year-old played on a fifth-year option in 2025 and had one of his best seasons to date, finishing second among tight ends in catches (88) and receiving yards (928), and he tied his career high with five touchdowns. The former fourth overall pick was a top-five fantasy TE, but a repeat could be difficult in 2026 if Michael Penix Jr. (knee) isn't ready for the start of the regular season.

Tuesday, February 10, 11:58 AM

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye (shoulder) acknowledged that the hit he took in the AFC Championship game against the Denver Broncos was significant as it relates to his right throwing shoulder, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Maye was managing his shoulder injury in the two weeks leading into Super Bowl LX against the Seattle Seahawks, but both Maye and the Patriots downplayed the severity. Maye admitted that his shoulder was an issue in the 29-13 loss to Seattle in the Super Bowl, in which he went 27-for-43 passing for 295 yards and two touchdowns. The second-year QB threw picks and lost a fumble as well in what was a disappointing finish to an excellent second year for the North Carolina product. Maye doesn't expect to require surgery, though, and he should be fully healthy going into the 2026 campaign. The 23-year-old led the NFL with a 72% completion percentage during the regular season and finished as a top-five fantasy QB, although New England's regular-season schedule was extremely soft.