25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History
Rob Gronkowski won four Super Bowl rings in his impressive career, the last one coming after he took a year off from the game.
It could be argued that no position has changed more in the NFL's history than the tight end. Once primarily a sixth offensive lineman who would catch the occasional pass, tight ends have become key cogs on offense.
Some tight ends are so critical to a team's passing attack in the current NFL that entire packages are designed to fit their individual skill sets. The extra emphasis placed on the position today causes us to look back at some of the greats who played the position historically and decide how they measure up — both from a statistical sense as well as in the simple "eye test."
The changes at the position are impacted by how many players from the current era make this list, including a new addition to the top 10, but there is still plenty of representation from the past as well.
25 Greatest Tight Ends in NFL History
25. Zach Ertz
Philadelphia Eagles 2013-21; Arizona Cardinals 2021
3-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl LII champion
134 games – 635 catches, 6,841 yards (10.8 ypc), 41 TDs
Ertz has been consistently dominant during his career so far. He has established himself as one of the best players in the history of the league at the position.
24. Jay Novacek
St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals 1985-89; Dallas 1990-95
First-team All-Pro (1992), 5-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl XXVII, XXVIII, XXX champion (Cowboys)
158 games – 422 catches, 4,630 yards (11.0 ypc), 30 TDs
Novacek was the perfect complement to the "Triplets" (Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Michael Irvin) during the Cowboys' epic run in the early 1990s.
23. Riley Odoms
Denver 1972-83
2-time first-team All-Pro, 4-time Pro Bowler
153 games – 396 catches, 5,755 yards (14.5 ypc), 41 TDs; 25 carries, 211 yards (8.4 ypc), 2 TDs
You could make the argument that he was Denver's best player for nearly a decade.
22. Vernon Davis
San Francisco 2006-15; Denver 2015; Washington 2016-19
2-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl 50 Champion (Broncos)
194 games – 583 catches, 7,562 yards (13.0 ypc), 63 TDs
Davis was one of the better pure athletes to ever play the position.
21. Heath Miller
Pittsburgh 2005-15
2-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl XL, XLIII champion
168 games – 592 catches, 6,569 yards (11.1 ypc), 45 TDs
Miller was a model of consistency over his 11-year career with the Steelers.
20. Dallas Clark
Indianapolis Colts 2003-11; Tampa Bay 2012; Baltimore 2013
First-team All-Pro (2009), Pro Bowl (2009)
Super Bowl XLI champion
143 games – 505 catches, 5,665 yards (11.2 ypc), 53 TDs
He was the unsung hero of the dominant Peyton Manning-led Colt offenses.
19. Keith Jackson
Philadelphia 1988-91; Miami 1992-94; Green Bay 1995-96
3-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
129 games – 441 catches, 5,283 yards (12.0 ypc), 49 TDs
Probably the most complete tight end in history.
18. Todd Christensen
New York Giants 1979; Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders 1979-88
2-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
137 games – 461 catches, 5,872 yards (12.7 ypc), 41 TDs
He was a Raider favorite who thrived despite being in the huddle with a handful of other legendary skill position players.
17. Charlie Sanders
Detroit 1968-77
3-time first-team All-Pro, 7-time Pro Bowler
128 games – 336 catches, 4,817 yards (14.3 ypc), 31 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2007
The other legendary Sanders to play in Detroit was a serious deep threat at the position.
16. Ben Coates
New England 1991-99; Baltimore Ravens 2000
2-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
158 games – 499 catches, 5,555 yards (11.1 ypc), 50 TDs
He was a key cog in the Drew Bledsoe-led Patriot offenses that put up huge numbers in the 1990s.
15. Jerry Smith
Washington 1965-77
First-team All-Pro (1969), 2-time Pro Bowler
168 games – 421 catches, 5,496 yards (13.1 ypc), 60 TDs
One of the most underrated players in NFL history.
14. Jimmy Graham
New Orleans 2010-14; Seattle 2015-17, Green Bay 2018-19, Chicago 2020-Present
First-team All-Pro (2013), 5-time Pro Bowler
184 games – 713 catches, 8,506 yards (11.9 ypc), 85 TDs
When healthy and in his prime, few could match Graham's dominance — especially in the red zone.
13. Jackie Smith
St. Louis Cardinals 1963-77; Dallas 1978
5-time Pro Bowler
210 games – 480 catches, 7,918 yards (16.5 ypc), 40 TDs; 38 carries, 327 yards (8.6 ypc), 3 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1994
Smith is sadly remembered mostly for his dropped pass in the end zone during Dallas' 35-31 loss to Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XIII. But that one missed opportunity shouldn't overshadow the fact he was a solid and at times dominant force throughout his Hall of Fame career.
12. Greg Olsen
Chicago Bears 2007-10, Carolina Panthers 2011-19, Seattle Seahawks 2020
3-time Pro Bowler
Recommended Articles
174 games – 742 catches, 8,683 yards (11.8 ypc), 60 TDs
Olsen quietly grew into one of the most prolific pass catchers in the league during his career. In 2016, he became the first tight end in NFL history to post three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.
11. Dave Casper
Oakland 1974-80, '84, Houston Oilers 1981-83; Minnesota 1983
4-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl XI, XV champion (Raiders)
147 games – 378 catches, 5,216 yards (13.8 ypc), 52 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2002
Casper was the premier tight end in pro football during the 1970s, leading to his immortal status in the eyes of Raider Nation.
10. Travis Kelce
Kansas City Chiefs 2013-Present
First-team All-Pro (2016, '18, '20), 7-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl LIV champion
127 games – 704 catches, 9,006 yards (12.8 ypc), 57 TDs
Kelce has been one of the most dominant tight ends since he stepped into the league, and the stats he's piling up are putting him in the conversation with the all-time greats. The sky is the limit for Kelce, as he is a key cog in the league's most explosive offense right now. Barring injury, he should continue to rise up this list.
9. Jason Witten
Dallas 2003-17, '19, Las Vegas 2020
2-time first-team All-Pro, 11-time Pro Bowler
239 games – 1,228 catches, 13,046 yards (10.6 ypc), 74 TDs
Witten may be the last of the old-school tight ends — a big-bodied guy who blocks as well as he runs routes and catches passes. The Cowboys' cornerstone for 15 seasons, Witten retired after the 2017 campaign and started his broadcast career as part of ESPN's revamped "Monday Night Football" team. However, after just one season in the booth, Witten announced on Feb. 28 that he was returning to the Cowboys. After a year away from the game, Witten returned and put up a respectable season, stat-wise, in 2019. He spent the final season of his illustrious career with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2020.
8. John Mackey
Baltimore Colts 1963-71; San Diego 1972
3-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
139 games – 331 catches, 5,236 yards (15.8 ypc), 38 TDs, 19 rushes, 127 yards (6.7 ypc)
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1992
NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019)
The John Mackey Award is given to the best tight end in college football annually. That alone should tell you how great he was in his time. Mackey was one of the premier offensive weapons in the NFL during his prime. Perhaps most impressive — he missed only one game during his 10-year career.
7. Mike Ditka
Chicago 1961-66; Philadelphia 1967-68; Dallas 1969-72
2-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl VI champion (Cowboys)
158 games – 427 catches, 5,812 yards (13.6 ypc), 43 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1988
NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019)
Long before he was Da Coach in Chicago and the subject of a legendary series of SNL skits, Ditka was the focal point of the Bears' passing attack in the 1960s. He brought the same toughness to the offense that teammate Dick Butkus brought to the defense, making Chicago one of the most feared and respected franchises in the NFL.
6. Ozzie Newsome
Cleveland 1978-90
First-team All-Pro (1984), 3-time Pro Bowler
198 games – 662 catches, 7,980 yards (12.1 ypc), 47 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1999
Newsome was one of the premier tight ends of the 1980s along with Kellen Winslow. He was a favorite target of Bernie Kosar's on a Cleveland Browns team that fell agonizingly short of two Super Bowl appearances at the hands of the Broncos. Newsome's football IQ set him apart, and that is what has made him one of the elite general managers in the game today.
5. Kellen Winslow
San Diego 1979-87
3-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
109 games – 541 catches, 6,741 yards (12.5 ypc), 45 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 1995
NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019)
Winslow is the guy many people immediately picture when they hear the words "tight end." He was the first real deep threat at the position, making an already prolific Dan Fouts-led passing attack that much more lethal. Many will likely eclipse his stats, but nobody will ever replace the iconic image of Winslow's teammates carrying him off the field after exhausting himself — mentally and physically — in a playoff game in Miami's Orange Bowl in 1982.
4. Shannon Sharpe
Denver 1990-99, 2002-03; Baltimore 2000-01
4-time first-team All-Pro, 8-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl XXXII, XXXIII (Broncos), XXXV (Ravens) champion
204 games – 815 catches, 10,060 yards (12.3 ypc), 62 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2011
Sharpe's stat line speaks for itself, but it was his immeasurable impact as John Elway's and subsequently Trent Dilfer's security blanket in the passing games of three championship teams that set him apart from others at his position. He was the first of the oversized natural wide receivers who assumed the role of tight end.
3. Rob Gronkowski
New England 2010-18, Tampa Bay 2020-21
4-time first-team All-Pro, 5-time Pro Bowler
Super Bowl XLIX, LI, LIII, LV champion
2014 AP & PFWA Comeback Player of the Year
143 games – 621 catches, 9,286 yards (15.0 ypc), 92 TDs
NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019)
Going by the eye test, it's tough not to call Gronkowski the greatest ever at the position and his inclusion on the NFL 100 All-Time Team is a testament to this claim. Injuries certainly held him back at times and probably were one of the contributing factors to him announcing his retirement shortly following Super Bowl LIII. However, after a year off, Gronk joined former teammate Tom Brady in Tampa Bay and was instrumental in leading the Buccanneers to a win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LV. But after two years in Tampa, it appears that Gronk is ready to step away from the game, again. Barring another change of heart, his next stop should be Canton.
2. Antonio Gates
San Diego 2003-18
3-time first-team All-Pro, 8-time Pro Bowler
236 games – 955 catches, 11,841 yards (12.4 ypc), 116 TDs
Like Tony Gonzalez, Gates is a former college basketball player who has used his rare athletic ability to create problems for opposing defenses. Not only is Gates the all-time leader in touchdown catches (116) by a tight end, he's sixth on the career list for all players.
1. Tony Gonzalez
Kansas City 1997-2008; Atlanta 2009-13
6-time first-team All-Pro, 14-time Pro Bowler
270 games – 1,325 catches, 15,127 yards (11.4 ypc), 111 TDs
Pro Football Hall of Fame, Class of 2019
NFL 100 All-Time Team (2019)
Gonzalez pioneered the trend of basketball players making the transition to the tight end position. His frame combined with his athleticism created unique matchup problems for defenses, revolutionizing schemes on both sides of the ball. Statistically, he has far and away the greatest resume of anyone who ever played the position. He'll be enshrined in Canton in the Summer of 2019.
— Written by J.P. Scott, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network. His work has appeared on SI.com, FoxSports.com, Yahoo! SBNation and Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @TheJPScott.
