They say, three things are certain in life: Death, taxes, and football fans arguing over who is the best player at any given position. Tom Brady may have put the all-time QB1 discussion to bed, but when it comes to the tight ends, there’s anything but a consensus.
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Some are in favor of Tony Gonzalez, who played for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Atlanta Falcons in his career from 1997 to 2013. Gonzales is the only tight end to record 15,000+ receiving yards. Then there are those who find themselves captivated by the success of Travis Kelce, who now has three Lombardi trophies to his name.
Surprisingly, or maybe it is not a surprise at all, Brady isn’t picking either of those two when it comes to determining the GOAT of the tight end position.
“Everyone is gonna say Tony Gonzalez. And I think Tony was the greatest pass-catching tight end of all time, but if you’re looking at the greatest tight end in history, it’s Rob Gronkowski,” Brady said, before explaining why he would rate Gronk above Travis and Tony.
“He catches the ball as well as the top three or four tight ends… But Gronk was, without a doubt, the greatest run blocking tight end the league has ever seen… We would run the ball behind him because that was the best match-up,” added Brady.
Of course, there’s some inherent bias in Brady’s take. But the stats do present a rather compelling case for Gronkowski. When it comes to stat totals, obviously, no one is near Gonzalez. But when you begin to look at the averages and the number of games played, the picture favors the former Patriots star.
Gonzalez compiled 15,127 receiving yards and 111 career touchdowns, playing 270 games. Meanwhile, Gronkowski needed just 143 games to record 9,286 receiving yards and 92 career touchdowns.
Where Gonzalez is averaging 56 receiving yards and 0.4 touchdowns per game, the former Patriot is averaging 65 receiving yards and 0.6 touchdowns per game. And in terms of pure physicality, there’s no denying that Gronkowski, quite literally, is head and shoulders above the rest of the competition.
Gonzalez averaged 11.41 yards per reception, while Gronkowski averaged nearly 15 yards every time he caught the ball. Had it not been for a lengthy injury history and a propensity for partying, Gronk could likely have extended his career: He played in the NFL from 2010 to 2021, and retired when he was just 32.
Had he played longer, there is a chance that Gronk would have surpassed Gonzalez in terms of touchdowns.
As impressive as Kelce and Gonzalez were in their respective careers, it’s hard to deny the 6-foot-6″, 265-pound former Patriots giant a spot in the all-time conversation. Then again, these kinds of discussions will always be subjective, as different numbers mean different things to different people.
If anything, let this simply serve as a reminder to appreciate generational talents while they are still here. Because it has been shown time and again that we will be hard-pressed to find someone like them once they are gone.
