Tight Ends (4)
Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe & Antonio Gates
Modern Positional Average
Tight Ends: Antonio Gates (2025), Tony Gonzalez (2019), Shannon Sharpe (2011).
Please note that there are only three Tight Ends who have been inducted in the last two decades and we will base the average only on these three players. This should change in the next five years.
Here are the statistics that we are using based on the last group of Tight Ends to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Games Played: 236.7
- Approximate Value: 126.7
- Approximate Value per Games Played: 0.5352
- Games Started: 204.3
- Approximate Value per Games Started: 0.6198
- Approximate Value per Five-Year Peak: 54.3
- Approximate Value’s Best Five Results: 57.3
- Pro Bowls: 10
- First Team All-Pros*: 4.3
- Receiving Yards: 12,342.7
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak: 4,880
- Top Five Receiving Yards Finish: 0
- Receiving Touchdowns: 96.3
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak: 38
- Top Five Receiving Touchdown Finishes**: 1.7
- Receptions: 1,032
- Receptions Five-Year Peak: 380.7
- Top Five Receptions**: 4
- Super Bowl Wins 1
- Super Bowl Appearances 1
*This is an aggregate of the Top Five finishes (5th = 1, 4th = 2, 3rd = 3, 2nd = 4th, 1st = 5)
**This is a reminder that the All-Pros we use are from the AP.
Stats
- Games 236.6
- Approximate Value 126.6
- Approximate Value per Game 0.5352
- Games Started 204.3
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6198
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 54.3
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 57.3
- Pro Bowls 10
- First Team AP All-Pros 4
- Receiving Yards 12342.7
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 4880
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 0
- Receiving Touchdowns 96.3
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 38
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 1.7
- Receptions 1032
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 380.7
- Top Five Aggregated Receptions Finishes 4
- Super Bowl Championships 1
- Super Bowl Appearances 1
#4 Overall, Travis Kelce: Kansas City Chiefs, #1 Tight End
2024 Pre-Season Rank #5, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #7, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #12, 2021 Pre-Season Rank: #20, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #37. Peak Period: 2018-22
Travis Kelce's performance is exceptional, especially when compared to the only two legends in the Modern Positional Average statistics, Shannon Sharpe & Tony Gonzalez. Despite this daunting comparison, Kelce has not only measured up but surpassed expectations. In the 2010s, he was the number two Tight End behind Rob Gronkowski, and now, he stands as the top man at his position among active players. It's not an exaggeration to say that he is the most recognized man in football.
Dating Taylor Swift (and now engaged to) will do that.
This man is a rock star of an athlete, but even if he was a mute, Kelce has the numbers of a Hall of Fame Tight End: over 12,000 Yards and 77 Touchdowns, a nine-year Pro Bowl streak, and four First Team All-Pros. Throw in three Super Bowls, and you have a man making a first-ballot Hall of Fame case and someone looking at the Mount Rushmore of Tight Ends.
Kelce might be declining, but not in popularity.
Stats
- Games 175 (-61.6)
- Approximate Value 116 (-10.6)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.6628 (+0.1276)
- Games Started 168 (-36.3)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6905 (+0.0707)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 61 (+6.7)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 71 (+13.7)
- Pro Bowls 10
- First Team AP All-Pros 4
- Receiving Yards 12151 (-191.7)
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 6444 (+1564)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 6 (+6)
- Receiving Touchdowns 77 (-19.3)
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 47 (+9)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 5 (+3.3)
- Receptions 1004 (-28)
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 507 (+126.3)
- Top Five Aggregated Receptions Finishes 4
- Super Bowl Championships 3 (+2)
- Super Bowl Appearances 5 (+4)
#34 Overall, George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers, #2 Tight End
2024 Pre-Season Rank #42, 2023 Pre-Season Rank #59, 2022 Pre-Season Rank #74, 2021 Pre-Season Rank #86, 2020 Pre-Season Rank #93. Peak Period: 2018-19/22-24.
The man who coined “National Tight Ends Day” would be the toast of his position over the last half-decade if it were not for Travis Kelce, but George Kittle has become well known just the same!
Kittle is coming off his sixth Pro Bowl, where he had his fourth 1,000-yard year (1,106) and was a Second Team All-Pro. A San Francisco 49er for all of his eight years, Kittle is now north of 30, but still plays like he is in his prime. With Rob Gronkowski (and possibly Jason Witten) entering soon, the statistical bar for Tight Ends is growing, but if Kitlle can speed up his pace over the next few years and possibly win a Super Bowl, he will be in the hunt.
Stats
- Games 113 (-123.6)
- Approximate Value 66 (-60.6)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.5841 (+0.0489)
- Games Started 105 (-99.3)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6286 (+0.0088)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 49 (-5.3)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 49 (-8.3)
- Pro Bowls 6 (-4)
- First Team AP All-Pros 2 (-2)
- Receiving Yards 7380 (-4962.7)
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 5480 (+600)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 0
- Receiving Touchdowns 45 (-51.3)
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 35 (-3)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 3 (+1.3)
- Receptions 538 (-494)
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 401 (+20.3)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-1)
- Super Bowl Appearances 2 (+1)
#94 Overall, Mark Andrews, Baltimore Ravens, #3 Tight End
2024 Pre-Season Rank #96, 2023: Pre-Season Rank #123. Peak Period: 2019-23
Mark Andrews has emerged as one of the top receiving Tight Ends in the early 2020s, having been a First Team All-Pro in 2021, and has secured three Pro Bowls over his career. Andrews looked to be reaching that upper tier of the position, but since that monster campaign of ’21, there have been multiple younger Tight Ends ready to take that spot. This is a great player, but he does not feel as special today as he did three years ago.
Stats
- Games 104 (-132.6)
- Approximate Value 55 (-71.6)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.5288 (-0.0064)
- Games Started 55 (-149.3)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 1.0000 (+0.3802)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 43 (-11.3)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 43 (-14.3)
- Pro Bowls 3 (-7)
- First Team AP All-Pros 1 (-3)
- Receiving Yards 5530 (-6812.7)
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 4305 (-575)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 0
- Receiving Touchdowns 51 (-45.3)
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 37 (-1)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 6 (+4.3)
- Receptions 436 (-596)
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 347 (-33.7)
- Top Five Aggregated Receptions Finishes 0 (-4)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-1)
- Super Bowl Appearances 0 (-1)