Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jets Named Top Trade Partner for $44 Million Pass-Catcher, Recent No. 4 Pick

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 7:26 PM ET

New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields is a fan of tossing the football to tight ends, as his entire NFL career has shown to this point.

Fields' greatest asset happens to be his legs, which he used successfully across three seasons in Chicago and last year with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During Fields' first three NFL campaigns, during which he was QB1 every game he was healthy enough to play (save for two during his rookie season), one trend emerged over and again: Fields looking for tight end Cole Kmet.

Kmet led the Bears' offense in every major receiving category in 2022, Fields' second year in the league, with 50 catches for 544 yards and seven touchdowns. Kmet finished second on the team in receptions (60) and receiving yards (612) in 2021 and second in every major category in 2023 (73 receptions, 719 yards, six touchdowns) in 2023.

Fields wasn't responsible for every one of Kmet's positive plays, but the trend is unmistakeable. To that end, as well as out of positional need, the Jets selected tight end Mason Taylor out of LSU in the second round of this year's draft (No. 42 overall).

Despite that, Aaron Schatz of ESPN on Thursday, June 26, named New York as the top candidate among three teams he said should consider trading with the Atlanta Falcons for tight end Kyle Pitts.

"Pitts has never matched the heights of his 1,026-yard rookie season, nor has he matched expectations as the No. 4 overall pick. It's very unlikely that the Falcons extend or re-sign him after the 2025 season, so perhaps the best thing is to get some value for him now and let him see what he can do with a change of scenery," Schatz wrote. "The Jets might be an interesting landing spot for Pitts, as he could play next to rookie Mason Taylor in two-TE sets."

Two-tight end formations, or 12 personnel as they are known in standard NFL parlance, have grown in popularity with offenses across the league in recent years and would suit Fields nicely given his passing proclivities.

Pitts is playing on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal in 2025, which pays him $10.9 million atop the $33 million he earned over his first four professional campaigns. Minus a contract extension or a team employing the franchise tag, Pitts will become an unrestricted free agent next spring.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: