The tight end position in football is an interesting one. There aren’t nearly as many huge plays made at the position like wide receiver or running back. There isn’t an Immaculate Reception or The Catch. However, tight ends are unique in their size and ability. Many have the size of a linebacker with the speed of a safety. That’s what makes the best of the best matchup nightmares. They line up on the end of the offensive line, making them hard to keep track of in a good offense, and then they are hard to tackle because they are so big and fast.
Today, tight ends are treated as an essential position. Honestly, they seemed to be more valued than running backs. In the latest NFL Draft, there were as many tight ends taken in each of the first three rounds as RBs (two in the first round, three in the second, and one in the third). In the 2023 NFL Draft, there were eight tight ends taken in the first three rounds, including five in the second round alone.
This position can be a game-changer, as we’ve seen with the 10 guys on this list. The best of the best can change a game in a moment, and they are a constantly impossible matchup.
10. George Kittle
2017-Present
San Francisco 49ers
George Kittle is an interesting name on this list. He’s obviously one of the best talents at the tight end position in history. He had the perfect personality for a tight end, with a willingness to put himself in harm’s way if it meant getting a few extra yards. However, that mentality has caused him to suffer a few injuries during his career. Even with that, he’s only missed a few games here and there and has never played fewer than eight in a season, and that happened once.
Right now, Kittle is 11th all-time with just under 8,000 receiving yards, although he can pass that threshold any game now (and likely does by the time you read this). He has way fewer games played than everyone in the top 10. He is averaging 65 yards per game, which is more than anyone not named Travis Kelce. He’s also 12th with 52 career touchdowns.
Kittle will likely move up this list as his career continues. He already has seven Pro Bowls, two first-team All-Pros, and three second-team All-Pro selections. He has four 1,000-yard receiving seasons under his belt, and he’s played in two Super Bowls. What he needs to get into the “best of all time” conversation is a huge moment in the playoffs. He’s been on the ride with the 49ers, but he doesn’t have a great Super Bowl performance yet.
9. Kellen Winslow
1979-1987
San Diego Chargers
Kellen Winslow was unlike anything the position has seen prior. Yes, there were tight ends with offensive numbers before Winslow (including one specific example higher on this list), but nobody really amassed the skillset that he brought. He was incredibly quick, and famous offensive coordinator Don Coryell made him the centerpiece of the offense from 1980 to 1983.
We don't often break down a player's impact into one game, but the results of the Epic in Miami show exactly the level of player Kellen Winslow was. In that game, the Chargers barely snuck by 41-38 in the Divisional Round Playoff Game in 1982. Winslow had 13 catches, 166 yards, and a touchdown. It remains one of the greatest playoff performances by any pass catcher, let alone a tight end.
Kellen Winslow might have been near the top of this list if knee injuries hadn’t shortened his career, but he found a way to dominate at a position that most weren’t used to seeing at this time. Winslow was an offensive powerhouse at tight end. That just didn’t happen in the 1970s and 1980s. He was a trend setter, as more teams looked for guys in his size range (250 lbs.) to be offensive contributors for years to come.
8. Dave Casper
1974-1984
Oakland Raiders, Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings
Dave Casper is probably the one name on this list that’s not a household name, but that’s narrative-driven and not driven by his actual impact on the field. The four-time All-Pro and Pro Football Hall of Famer was one of the most impactful players of the 1970s. He helped the Raiders become a powerhouse, constantly coming up with the most intelligent plays in the clutch. One example of this is when he kicked the ball into the end zone after a fumble as time was running out against the Chargers in 1978. At the time, the play was legal, and he fell on the game-winning touchdown.
When you have two plays that have their own name, the Holy Roller and Ghost to the Post, it shows how great this player was. Casper had some of the best hands in the game, with Ken Stabler knowing he was close to a sure thing in the post. Throwing Casper’s way often came with great results.
If you’re not familiar with Casper’s game, you're missing out on one of the most impactful stretches in league history. From 1976 to 1980, there were few players in the league who were as good as Casper was at helping his team win. His five playoff touchdown receptions in 1977 are still fourth best all time, and he did that in two games!
7. Jason Witten
2003-2020
Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders
Jason Witten isn’t discussed as much today as he was when he was an active player, mostly because he hasn’t been in the public eye as much since his retirement. While we still see many of the names on this list all over the media, Witten is more than happy being a high school football coach (and his foray into media was pretty disastrous). However, his career with the Cowboys was incredible. Witten was as “go-to” as any player in the league, constantly bailing out Cowboys quarterbacks for close to two decades.
Witten made 11 Pro Bowls in his career, including making it in 10 of 11 seasons from 2004 to 2014. He was a first-team All-Pro twice during that stretch. He ranks second in all-time career receptions and receiving yards by an NFL tight end, which is a nod to his ability to stay healthy and continue contributing at a high level.
Obviously, Witten never got to the Super Bowl. It’s the curse of being a Dallas Cowboys legend in the 21st century. He doesn’t have the playoff performances that most on this list do, but he was always there when the Cowboys needed him. However, he didn’t get a chance to score his first playoff touchdown until the last playoff game of his career, when he was 34 years old. He scored a fourth-quarter touchdown from Dak Prescott against the Green Bay Packers to bring the Cowboys within one score. Dez Bryant would eventually tie the game, but the two teams traded field goals in what ended up being another Cowboys loss. Still, we remember Witten for being Mr. Reliable for the Cowboys his entire career.
6. Shannon Sharpe
1990-2003
Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens
Shannon Sharpe is one of five tight ends in the history of this league with over 10,000 yards in his career. He didn’t come into the league with much hype, going to college at Savannah State and being selected by the Denver Broncos in the seventh round, but he turned an opportunity into a Hall of Fame career. He went from failing to get 100 yards in his rookie season to starting a stretch of seven straight Pro Bowl appearances by his third season.
Sharpe was stellar on the field until late into his career. That’s how he was able to put up these cuckoo numbers for a tight end of his time.
The reason he’s still a legend is his level of play in the postseason. He still holds the record for longest reception ever, taking a Trent Dilfer pass from his own four-yard line all the way to the house. Nobody has ever had a longer reception than 96 yards in the playoffs. He won three Super Bowls in four years (two with the Broncos and one with the Ravens). His best performance actually came in a loss in 1994 when he had 13 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown against the Raiders.
5. Antonio Gates
2003-2018
San Diego Chargers
Antonio Gates was automatic. People talked about how he was overrated so much that he’s become underrated. He was electric on the football field, catching so many of the greatest Philip Rivers passes in his career. It’s honestly ironic that Rivers is getting to play with Tyler Warren, the man many expect to be the next great tight end in the National Football League, because he was the guy who helped create Gates.
Gates is one of five tight ends in league history with at least 10,000 yards receiving, and he leads all tight ends in history with 116 touchdowns. He was named first-team All-Pro for three straight seasons (2004-2006), and he had two mentions on the second team in his career. He was an eight-time Pro Bowler. Gates was rightfully decorated for being one of the best pass catchers, regardless of position.
We have to remember that Gates did this despite not playing college football. He jumped back into the sport at the professional level after NBA scouts said he wouldn’t make the league. Gates was drafted by the Chargers as a flier, but he moved from third string to starter in his rookie season. He didn’t give up his role until the Chargers moved to LA in 2017. Gates put on a show, and he was Rivers’ safety blanket in the red zone. This offense was hitting on all cylinders, with LaDainian Tomlinson moving the defensive front, but it was often Gates who was moving the chains.
4. Mike Ditka
1961-1972
Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
Mike Ditka is known for so many things in today’s NFL. He was a legendary head coach, bringing the Chicago Bears to their first and only Super Bowl title in 1985. He was the architect of the famous Ricky Williams trade, bringing the great Texas Longhorns running back to the New Orleans Saints. He’s one of the most popular analysts on the pregame shows, but before all that, he was one of the best tight ends in the early days of popular football.
In college, Ditka played four sports. He was a superstar baseball player, a winter basketball player, and a champion wrestler on top of his football prowess. This incredible athlete chose football after leaving Pittsburgh, and he clearly made the right choice. He went to the Bears in the 1961 NFL Draft, and the rest is history, as they say.
In his first season, Ditka had 58 receptions. Most thought of the tight end as just an extra blocker, so this caught the league completely off guard. His impact earned him Rookie of the Year honors. He’s still the only tight end in league history to win Offensive Rookie of the Year. He would continue his impact, making it to the Pro Bowl the next five seasons of his career. Ditka would go on to be the first tight end ever inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
3. Travis Kelce
2013-2025
Kansas City Chiefs
Mr. Taylor Swift has turned into one of the most recognizable names in football today, but his success was built way before tying himself to the biggest star in the world. Travis Kelce has been crushing opposing defenses for more than a decade, and he was even doing it before the arrival of Patrick Mahomes. Kelce already had three Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro before Mahomes took the starting role in 2018.
Of course, when Kelce and Mahomes connected, it was instant magic. Kelce had a ridiculous 150 targets in Mahomes' first season as a starter. He caught 103 of those balls thrown his way for more than 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns. His best season came two years later when he led the league with 79 first downs. Kelce also had 105 catches for more than 1,400 yards and 11 touchdowns.
His regular-season success speaks for itself. He will likely finish his career second in yards receiving among tight ends and fifth in touchdowns. In the playoffs, he was even better. His 178 career playoff receptions are the best of all time. No, not just tight ends. There is no player who has more playoff receptions than Kelce. He will likely end his career with three Super Bowl rings, and he could become a two-time All-Decade Team winner once they name the 2020s team.
2. Rob Gronkowski
2010-2021
New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
We really flip-flopped a lot on the top two picks here, but we went with Rob Gronkowski at number two. At times during his career, Gronkowski was the most impactful skill player in football. He was truly unstoppable. His unique mixture of size and speed looked like it was built in a lab. Gronkowski played like he was trying to win the Super Bowl on every play. He was run through every attempted tackler, and more often than not, he broke those tackle attempts.
That’s how Gronkowski went on to win four Super Bowls. He was impossible to stop, and the New England Patriots used him to direct part two of the Tom Brady dynasty. He was always open, even when it appeared like he wasn’t. He could catch balls like Odell Beckham and run over tacklers like Derrick Henry.
In 2011, Gronkowski led the NFL in receiving touchdowns with 17. Only five players in the history of the league had more touchdowns in a single season, including his former teammate Randy Moss. He had seasons that may never be matched. He had more than 10 touchdowns five times in his career, and his playoff performances were just as great. Four times, he had at least three touchdowns in one postseason, including three times when he led the league. Only Jerry Rice and Travis Kelce have more career receptions in the Super Bowl, and he’s one of two players in history with at least five receiving touchdowns in the Big Game (Rice being the other with eight).
1. Tony Gonzalez
1997-2013
Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons
Tony Gonzalez gets the top spot still despite so much competition that’s come after he’s retired. Gonzalez revolutionized this position further than ever, showing the league what having a great tight end can do for an offense. It’s unfortunate neither of his teams could get a great team together to put him on a contender, but Gonzalez was a one-man playmaking machine.
He owns almost all of the records for tight ends. He has more than 15,000 yards receiving in his career. When Kelce retires, he’ll probably be second, but he’ll be around 3,000 yards behind Gonzalez. That’s insane! Gonzalez finished his career with six first-team All-Pro selections, four second-team selections, and 14 Pro Bowls. Only one player in the history of football has more Pro Bowl selections than Tony Gonzalez: Tom freaking Brady.
There are some great tight ends who have come and gone in this league, but nobody comes close to the consistency and value of Gonzalez. Even looking at some catch-all stats, Gonzalez is up there with the greatest of all time. On Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor, Gonzalez is ranked higher than players like Randy Moss, Larry Fitzgerald, Jim Brown, Barry Sanders, Joe Montana, and Johnny Unitas. He’s truly one of a kind, and he deserves the honor of being the best of all time at the tight end position. Could one of the guys in the league now surpass him? They’d have to be perfect to even come close.