Kyle Pitts broke second contract ‘curse.’ He’s ready to prove Falcons right.

Pitts values the Falcons’ loyalty and commitment, and their money, too. But the FaceTime call moved him. It was proof to him that he dodged the curse.

“For me, that’s kind of like a small accolade that most people don’t know about,” Pitts told the AJC at his charity golf tournament in July. “When you get that screenshot from David, it’s like, ‘OK, that’s a step in being able to break the curse of not making it to your second contract,’ and I got a chance to be able to do that.”

Pitts insists he didn’t push for it, and he had little clue a new contract was in the works. He was pleased with the faith-filled message the Falcons’ new regime sent by giving him the franchise tag this spring, so he wasn’t actively looking forward to an extension nor lighting up Mulugheta’s phone to make it happen.

Eventually, word spread. Mulugheta called and told Pitts there were discussions about an extension. Pitts thought it was cool and took it as a token the Falcons trusted his abilities. Soon thereafter, Mulugheta made another call, this one through FaceTime.

“When it got done,” Pitts said after Friday’s training camp practice, “I was like, ‘Thank you, Lord.’”

By means of the franchise tag, Pitts was entering a contract year for the second consecutive season. He delivered last year, finishing 10th in the NFL with 88 catches and leading the Falcons with 928 receiving yards.

But the Falcons’ new leadership, led by coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Ian Cunningham, wanted more time to evaluate Pitts. Much of his production came over the final six games — he caught 39 passes for 469 yards and four touchdowns — and benefited from increased targets with receiver Drake London missing three contests.

The Falcons decided they learned enough about Pitts during OTAs and minicamp to justify making him the third-highest-paid tight end in the NFL.

“I think Kyle has obviously been here for a good amount of time, where he’s established himself as a player on the field. He’s established himself as a person in the organization — a player, a teammate in the locker room,” Stefanski said Friday. “So, what he showed me is I just got to know Kyle through the offseason program.

“He’s somebody who is very serious about his work, that wants to be great, that wants to work at a ton of things with (tight ends) coach (Kevin) Koger and has the right attitude and is a really good teammate.”

Another lesson Stefanski learned about Pitts? His listed 6-foot-6, 250-pound frame isn’t a misprint. Stefanski discovered that in his first meeting. The 4.44 40-yard dash Pitts ran in 2021 wasn’t a mistake. Stefanski discovered that in May.

“Kyle’s very impressive when you see him initially in person,” Stefanski said. “I think Kyle’s been blessed to have the size and the ability to move at that size. Not many people are that height and that weight and can move as fluidly as Kyle does.

“I think that’s something you see the first few times that we’re practicing and running routes — you see the ability of Kyle to bend at that size, which I think is really rare.”

The Falcons, with hopes Pitts can turn his strong finish to last season into a more sustained norm, also leaned on continuity.

Koger, one of two holdovers on the offensive coaching staff from the previous regime, has worked with Pitts since 2024. They’ve grown close — so close that one of Koger’s sons wore Pitts’ black No. 8 jersey to Saturday’s practice.

Pitts has a relationship with Koger’s son, and Koger said Pitts is “absolutely” a person he would like his son to resemble years down the line. For the present, Koger is grateful he gets the chance to keep coaching Pitts.

“I’m happy for Kyle,” Koger said Saturday about the extension. “I mean, he deserved — he earned it. You don’t deserve anything. You earn everything that you get. He earned it. So, I’m happy for him, happy for his family.”

The 25-year-old Pitts spoke Friday with a sense of energy, excitement and relaxation. He appeared calm. He appeared happy. Camp life, he said, is great — the dorms offer an opportunity to get away from home, to eat with teammates, to talk about football.

There’s plenty to learn, too. Stefanski and offensive coordinator Tommy Rees bring a new system with different verbiage, terminologies and philosophies of player usage.

It’s a fresh start for everybody, Pitts said. That includes him. New year, new staff, new contract.

Oh, and he has a new goal, too: Mulugheta’s name to pop up on his phone with a FaceTime call and subsequent screenshot.

“I want to get another one,” Pitts told the AJC.