Chalk this one up as unlikely.

The Cincinnati Bengals could be in the market for a tight end this offseason, depending on what happens with Mike Gesicki. In a recent article, Ben Solak of ESPN predicted that they land one in an interesting way: By trading a draft pick to the Atlanta Falcons for Kyle Pitts.

ESPN predicts that Bengals will trade for Kyle Pitts

Pitts had over 1,000 receiving yards and was named to the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2021, but he’s been unable to match that production in the three seasons since. He’s still just 24 yeards old though, and thus could still have a lot of productive football in front of him, in the right situation.

Here’s what Solak had to say about a potential trade:

“Tight end Kyle Pitts is due $10.8 million on the final year of his deal in 2025. Can the Falcons get more for him in a trade than they would in a compensatory pick after he leaves in free agency? I think they could, as he has a rosier future on an offense that actually fits his skill set. My prediction: Pitts will get dealt to the Bengals for a Day 3 pick.”

It’s tough to accurately judge Pitts’ production over the past few seasons given the level of quarterback play he’s had to deal with in Atlanta. He would almost assuredly put up bigger numbers playing with Joe Burrow in Cincinnati. All tight ends do.

But, will the Bengals want to take on his $10.8 million salary for next season when they have so many other needs to address? They might be able to bring back Gesicki on a deal that would count less against the cap in 2025, and retaining him should be the priority since he’s already shown that he can thrive in Cincinnati’s system, and he’s built a nice chemistry with Burrow.

So, while predictions are fun to make at this time of the year, this one seems pretty unlikely to actually occur.