Ranking the greatest tight ends in NFL history – Travis Kelce vs Rob Gronkowski with retirement decision looming
Travis Kelce is heading toward the Pro Football Hall of Fame as soon as he retires.
While his official gold jacket is at least five years away, there’s no doubt that the Kansas City Chiefs superstar is already one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.
Patrick Mahomes‘ favorite weapon just keeps adding to his future Hall of Fame numbers, and Kelce could end up as the greatest tight end to play the game if he puts off retirement for a few more years.
While the Chiefs were eliminated from the playoffs after a frustrating 6-11 season, Kelce has more than 13,000 career receiving yards and 80 touchdowns, while earning 11 Pro Bowl selections and three Super Bowl rings since becoming the No. 63 overall pick (third round) out of Cincinnati in 2013.
As an offensive position, tight end is more valuable and diverse than ever in the NFL.
Legends such as Kellen Winslow, John Mackey and Mike Ditka can’t touch Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten when it comes to receiving yards, while the position has continued to evolve from Shannon Sharpe to Rob Gronkowski.
Barry Sanders and Walter Payton battled for the honor of being the NFL’s greatest running back, while Tom Brady and Peyton Manning made the all-time QB list.
Below, talkSPORT ranks the best tight ends in NFL history.
10. Mike Ditka
One of the most famous tight ends of all time was a throwback during his playing day.
Ditka was drafted during the first round in the NFL and AFL in 1961 out of Pittsburgh.
He became one of the most popular Bears in franchise history and eventually became a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The five-time Pro Bowler later evolved into a legendary head coach for fierce Chicago teams and twice won Coach of the Year.
Ditka was strong, fast and dependable.
But in a sign of how much the game has changed, he only recorded more than 1,000 receiving yards once and that was in 1961 as a rookie.
Career stats: 5,812 receiving yards, 43 touchdowns
9. John Mackey
Mackey was ahead of the curve as a receiving tight end.
The Hall of Famer made five Pro Bowls, three All-Pro teams and was a Super Bowl champion.
Drafted in the second round in 1963 by the Baltimore Colts, the Syracuse product starred as a rookie and only improved.
Mackey collected more than 600 receiving yards in five seasons and finished with more than 5,000 yards during his 10-year career.
Career stats: 5,236 yards, 38 TD
8. Ozzie Newsome
Newsome helped bridge the gap between the old and new world for NFL tight ends.
The first-rounder out of Alabama made three Pro Bowls and earned one All-Pro selection.
What separated Newsome was his longevity and dependability.
He entered the NFL in 1978 and lasted until 1990.
Newsome played in all 16 games during his final year and ended his Hall of Fame career with almost 8,000 receiving yards.
He broke the 1,000-yard barrier twice, which was a rarity for tight ends.
Career stats: 7,980 yards, 47 TD
7. Kellen Winslow
Winslow was the No. 13 overall pick in 1979 and should have been drafted higher.
The Hall of Famer made five Pro Bowls and helped forever change the possibilities of his position.
Winslow caught 89 passes in his second year, then had 88 receptions a season later.
He also grabbed 10 TDs in 1981 and collected more than 1,000 yards three times during his nine-season span.
Career stats: 6,741 yards, 45 TD
6. Shannon Sharpe
Sharpe doesn’t get enough credit for how good he was on the field.
It’s hard to imagine Kelce without Sharpe, who stretched the sidelines and consistently punished defenses.
The seventh rounder had a dream career, making the Hall of Fame and winning three Super Bowls.
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4. Randy Moss
Only Moss could have gone from college ball at Marshall to 1,313 yards and 17 TDs as an NFL rookie in the same year.
Only Moss could have answered his huge early numbers in Minnesota with even bigger stats while paired with Tom Brady in the New England Patriots‘ dynasty.
The explosive and at times volatile Moss became one of the league’s most revered wideouts, dominating defenses and catching at least 10 TD in nine of his 14 campaigns.
He’s in the final echelon of receivers and rivals Jerry Rice as the best downfield target of all time.
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Sharpe was also selected to eight Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams.
He broke the 1,000-yard mark three times and had two strong seasons back in Denver after an impressive two-year run with Baltimore.
Sharpe later carved out an even bigger career off the field.
Career stats: 10,060 yards, 62 TD
5. Jason Witten
Witten will surely be in the Hall of Fame one day.
But the longtime Dallas Cowboy will have to wait a little longer than normal because of his 2018 retirement and two-year return to the league.
Witten is one of the greatest pass-catching tight ends in history and changed the overall outlook of the position.
He made 11 Pro Bowls, caught 110 passes in a single season, and broke the 1,000-yard mark four times.
All that was missing for Witten was a Super Bowl ring.
Career stats: 13,046 yards, 74 TD
4. Rob Gronkowski
Kelce tops Gronkowski in yards but Gronk still has the edge in TDs.
The super-tough tight end will forever be associated with the New England Patriots‘ glory days under Tom Brady and Belichick.
Gronkowski was big, fast and powerful, while excelling at blocking and receiving.
Gronk was at his best when it mattered — in the playoffs.
The second-round pick out of Arizona won four Super Bowls and played in 22 postseason games.
His career playoff numbers (98 catches, 1,389 yards, 15 TDs) are a dream season for NFL wide receivers.
Career stats: 9,286 yards, 92 TD
3. Travis Kelce
The Big Yeti might eventually be on top of this list.
Kelce has built off the foundation of previous tight ends to become a weekly force in the NFL.
Paired with Mahomes and working under head coach Andy Reid, Kelce has gone from a questionable third-round pick to future Hall of Famer.
He sprinted to 11,000 yards faster than any other tight end in NFL history and is on pace to pass Tony Gonzalez for the all-time mark.
Last season, Kelce became the Chiefs’ leader in career receptions, surpassing Gonzalez’s previous record of 916 catches.
This year, he reached 100 career touchdowns (regular and postseason combined).
The biggest question for Kelce right now is how long he’ll keep playing and how high he’ll reach, given he’s already been a pro for 13 years.
“You put in all this f***ing work and hope that it pays off,” Kelce said on his New Heights podcast.
“Right now, it’s just for whatever f***ing reason, man, it’s little things. I feel like I’ve always had the answers in years past. And this year, I just can’t find them.”
He has three Super Bowl rings but could walk away after a frustrating 6-11 season for the Chiefs.
Kelce also has a wedding to plan for that the whole world will be watching.
Career stats: 13,002 yards, 82 TD
2. Antonio Gates
Gates was so good it’s easy to argue he’s the best tight end in NFL history.
He only collected more than 1,000 receiving yards in two seasons.
But the former college basketball player went from undrafted to one of football’s best stories during a 16-year career.
Gates was a TD machine with the Chargers, made eight Pro Bowls and was selected to three All-Pro teams.
A Hall of Fame selection sealed Gates’ all-time legacy on the field, and he put on a gold jacket in August 2025.
Career stats: 11,841 yards, 116 TD
1. Tony Gonzalez
Before Kelce, there was Gonzalez.
His numbers are unbelievable for a tight end, and Mahomes’ favorite target will have to play several more years if he wants to pass the greatest tight end in NFL history.
Gonzalez was a first-round pick in 1997, then made 14 Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams before entering the Hall of Fame.
He also started his career with the Chiefs, like Kelce.
Gonzalez, who has a Jeff Bezos connection, caught 102 balls in 2004 and broke the 1,000-yard mark four times.
Every current tight end is trying to reach the lofty bar that Gonzalez set.
Career stats: 15,127 yards, 111 TD
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