Tight Ends (3)
Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe & Antonio Gates
Modern Positional Average
Tight Ends:
Here are the three Tight Ends who have entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame and played within the last 25 years. They comprise our baseline:
Antonio Gates (2025), Tony Gonzalez (2019) & Shannon Sharpe (2011).
The Tight End position has been rapidly evolving to a main receiving option, and we expect this to be the most in-flux statistical bar over the next 20 years.
Here are the statistical averages that we are using based on the last group of Wide Receivers to enter the Pro Football Hall of Fame:
- Games Played: 208.5
- 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
#5 Overall, Travis Kelce: Kansas City Chiefs, #1 Tight End
2025 Pre-Season Rank #4, 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
There have been a lot of phenomenal Tight Ends before Travis Kelce, but let’s be realistic; there may never be a more recognized Tight End in football than Travis Kelce.
Being married to Taylor Swift will help with that.
Before he became a Swifty, Kelce was already the most known man at his position, and from 2016 to 2022 had at least 1,000 Yards and a version of the AP All-Pro (four First Team and three Second Team). His level of production had no positional peer, and he was not just a participant in Kansas City’s three Super Bowl wins, but a vital cog who owns the all-time playoff record in receptions (178), with 2,078 Yards and 20 Touchdowns. Think of that for a second! His overall playoff numbers are the envy of most NFL Tight Ends’ regular-season careers!
It was expected by many that Kelce would not return this year, but here he is, with just over 13,000 career Yards and a first-ballot ticket to Canton.
Notably, 898 Yards this year will bring him to 13th all-time.
Stats
- Games 192 (-44.6)
- Approximate Value 124 (-2.6)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.6458 (+0.1106)
- Games Started 185 (-19.3)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6702 (+0.0504)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 62 (+7.7)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 62 (+4.7)
- Pro Bowls 11 (+1)
- First Team AP All-Pros 4
- Receiving Yards 13002 (+659.3)
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 6444 (+1564)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 6 (+6)
- Receiving Touchdowns 82 (-14.3)
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 47 (+9)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 5 (+3.3)
- Receptions 1080 (+48)
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 507 (+126.3)
- Top Five Aggregated Receptions Finishes 4
- Super Bowl Championships 3 (+2)
- Super Bowl Appearances 5 (+4)
#26 Overall, George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers, #2 Tight End
2025 Pre-Season Rank #34, 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 decade if it were not for Travis Kelce, but George Kittle has become well known just the same!
Kittle is coming off his seventh Pro Bowl, where he just broke 8,000 lifetime yards and remained one of the best blocking Tight Ends in the game. A San Francisco 49er for all of his nine 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 Kittle can make it to five digits in yards, coupled with the respect that he has as a blocker, he is definitely in the Canton hunt.
Stats
- Games 124 (-112.6)
- Approximate Value 72 (-54.6)
- Approximate Value per Game 0.5806 (+0.0454)
- Games Started 116 (-88.3)
- Approximate Value per Games Started 0.6207 (+0.00090000000000001)
- Approximate Value: Five-Year Peak 49 (-5.3)
- Approximate Value: Best Five Years 49 (-8.3)
- Pro Bowls 7 (-3)
- First Team AP All-Pros 2 (-2)
- Receiving Yards 8008 (-4334.7)
- Receiving Yards Five-Year Peak 5480 (+600)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Yards Finishes 0
- Receiving Touchdowns 52 (-44.3)
- Receiving Touchdowns Five-Year Peak 35 (-3)
- Top Five Aggregated Receiving Touchdowns Finishes 3 (+1.3)
- Receptions 595 (-437)
- Receptions Five-Year Peak 401 (+20.3)
- Super Bowl Championships 0 (-1)
- Super Bowl Appearances 2 (+1)
