Who is the greatest tight end of all time? Some of the best tight ends in NFL history have taken the field in our lifetime. In a golden era era the position, including Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski, it’s worth taking a look at the best tight ends of all time.
A variety of factors determine who is viewed as the best tight end ever. Kelce certainly boasts some of the numbers to be considered, but playing tight end is also about more than just receiving stats. Factors such as quarterback play, era and blocking must all be factored in.
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Here are the 10 best tight ends of all time.
10. Jason Witten, Dallas Cowboys
Selected with the 69th overall pick in the 2003 NFL Draft out of the University of Tennessee, Jason Witten was picked behind tight ends like Dallas Clark, Bennie Joppru, L.J. Smith and Teyo Johnson. After learning the ropes in his rookie season, Witten started every game in a Dallas Cowboys uniform from 2004-’17. He earned 11 Pro Bowl selects, four All-Pro selections and won Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year in 2012. Witten also holds the NFL record for most career games by a tight end (271). He wasn’t anything special as an offensive weapon, but Witten’s career accomplishments are outstanding.
Jason Witten career stats: 1,228 receptions, 13,046 receiving yards, 74 touchdowns, 10.6 ypr
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9. John Mackey, Baltimore Colts
It’s obvious you’re one of the all-time greats when an award is named after you. After a storied college career at Syracuse, John Mackey was taken in the second round of the 1963 NFL Draft. At 6-foot-2, Mackey revolutionized the tight end position decades before it became what we see in the modern NFL. Even in a run-heavy league, Mackey had five seasons with 600-plus receiving yards and he played in an era with 14 regular-season games. Mackey is a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary All-Time team, won Super Bowl V and an NFL championship all while earning five Pro Bowl selections.
John Mackey career stats: 331 receptions, 5,236 receiving yards, 38 touchdowns, 15.8 ypr
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8. Ozzie Newsome, Cleveland Browns
Before he proved himself to be one of the best talent evaluators and general managers of his era, Ozzie Newsome was one of the best tight ends of all time. Chosen with the 23rd overall pick in the 1978 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns, the 6-foot-2 tight end dominated the league for years. He received first-team All-Pro honors in his second NFL season and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark in 1981. Newsome spent his entire career in Cleveland (1978-’90), receiving six All-Pro selections and proving to be one of the best players in Browns history.
Ozzie Newsome career stats: 662 receptions, 7,980 receiving yards, 47 touchdowns, 12.1 ypr
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7. Mike Ditka, Chicago Bears
While Mike Ditka is recognized more now for his coaching career and sweater vest, we can’t talk about the best tight ends of all time without mentioning Ditka. He is the reason for the tight end position truly being created, the first player to change the course of NFL history and create careers for those after him. A five-time Pro Bowl pick and five-time All-Pro selection, he’s a member of the NFL 100th Anniversary Team and tight ends aren’t in the same spot without him.
Mike Ditka career stats: 427 receptions, 5,812 receiving yards, 43 touchdowns
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6. Shannon Sharpe, Denver Broncos
Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2011, Shannon Sharpe still holds the NFL record for most receiving yards in a game by a tight end (214). Sharpe is just one of 55 players in NFL history with 10,000 receiving yards in a career, accomplishing that feat in a far less pass-heavy era at a position that sees fewer targets than wide receivers.
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An eight-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time Super Bowl champion, the 6-foot-2 tight end was drafted with the 192nd pick out of Savannah State in the 1990 NFL Draft and became one of the best tight ends of all time. Keep in mind, all of his production happened when pass-catchers put their bodies on the line to make plays over the middle.
Shannon Sharpe stats: 815 receptions, 10,060 receiving yards, 62 touchdowns
5. Kellen Winslow, San Diego Chargers
While Kellen Winslow played fewer games than some of the other best tight ends of all time, his production is still absurd for the era. From 1980-’87, he averaged 810.7 receiving yards and 5.4 touchdowns per season, right on pace with the best years of Sharpe’s career (818.1 receiving yards and 5.3 touchdowns per season from 1993-’03). Winslow Sr. also earned four All-Pro selections, led the NFL in receptions twice (1980-’81) and earned a spot on the NFL’s 100th Anniversary Team.
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Winslow is another example of a player who changed how the NFL uses tight ends. As Ty Dunne described, Don Coryell used the 6-foot-5 tight end all over the field, taking advantage of his size and athleticism. It provided a blueprint for tight end usage today. We’d be doing a disservice to Winslow if we didn’t recognize “The Epic in Miami”, when. he hauled in 13 passes for 166 receiving yards and blocked a field goal, an unforgettable performance in one of the best NFL games ever.
Kellen Winslow career stats: 541 receptions, 6,741 receiving yards, 45 touchdowns
4. Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers
When Nick Saban told him he couldn’t play both football and basketball by Nick Saban, Antonio Gates made his way to Kent State to focus on basketball. He shined in two seasons, averaging 18.1 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. When an NBA career was taken off the table, NFL scouts offered Gates a life-changing opportunity.
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After last playing football in high school, all Gates did is become one of the best tight ends in NFL history. Undrafted in 2003, he earned a first-team All-Pro selection in 2004. From 04-’16, he averaged 831 receiving yards and 8.4 touchdowns per season, resulting in eight Pro Bowl trips.
Gates is just one of three tight ends with at least 11,000 receiving yards and he holds the NFL record for most career receiving touchdowns by a tight end (116). Alongside another one of the all-time greats, Tony Gonzalez, Gates opened doors for Kelce and Gronkowski.
Antonio Gates career stats: 955 receptions, 11,841 receiving yards, 116 touchdowns, 12.4 ypr
3. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs
Selected with the 63rd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Travis Kelce’s path to becoming one of the best tight ends of all time is unforgettable. A three-time Super Bowl champion and nine-time Pro Bowl selection, the Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce combo is only rivaled by Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski in terms of quarterback-tight end duos.
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Kelce holds NFL records for consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end (seven), most seasons with 1,000 receiving yards (seven), most games with 100-plus yards among tight ends (35), most seasons with 100-plus receptions by a tight end (three) and the single-season record for receiving yardage (1,416) by a tight end.
In 2024, Kelce will pass Antonio Gates on the all-time receiving yards list for tight ends. Plus, he’s on track to become just the third tight end in NFL history with 1,000 receptions and 12,000 receiving yards. Plus, Kelce holds every career playoff record for tight ends.
Travis Kelce career stats: 907 receptions, 11,328 receiving yards, 74 touchdowns, 12.5 ypr
2. Tony Gonzalez, Kansas City Chiefs
Tony Gonzalez (14) ranks second behind Tom Brady (15) for the most Pro Bowl selections in NFL history. Picked 13th overall by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 1997 NFL Draft, Gonzalez holds multiple records to this day and he never had a Hall of Fame quarterback throwing to him.
From 1999-2013, Gonzalez averaged 942.5 receiving yards and 6.9 touchdowns per season. He still played at a high level in his final season, earning four consecutive Pro Bowl selections to close out his career and hauling in 83 receptions for 859 receiving yards and eight touchdowns at age 37.
Gonzalez holds the records for the most career receiving yards by a tight end (15,127) and the most career receptions by a tight end (1,325). He is second behind Gates on the all-time touchdown leaderboard (111). While some view him as the best tight end in NFL history, Gonzalez comes in second on our rankings for the all-time greats.
Tony Gonzalez career stats: 1,325 receptions, 15,127 receiving yards, 111 touchdowns, 11.4 ypr
1. Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots
Rob Gronkowski is the best tight end in NFL history. While he doesn’t have the longevity to match Gonzalez and he certainly benefitted from playing with the best quarterback ever, Gronkowski’s combination of being an All-Pro offensive weapon and a great blocker separates him from others.
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He ranks second in all-time receiving yards per game (64.9) behind Kelce with the third-most receiving touchdowns (92) ever by a tight end. Furthermore, Gronkowski boasts the second-best career yards per catch average (15) among tight ends and he holds numerous postseason records.
Being one of the most physically dominant offensive weapons in NFL history helps Gronkowski be viewed as one of the best tight ends of all time. What puts him No. 1 on our list is everything else he did. On top of his unique receiving abilities, Gronkowski was an outstanding blocker for his position, finishing as one of the highest-graded run blockers among tight ends in Pro Football Focus’ history. When you boil it all down, Gronkowski is the best to ever do it.
Rob Gronkowski career stats: 621 receptions, 9,286 receiving yards, 92 touchdowns, 15 ypr