Summary
The top 10 greatest tight ends in NFL history are based on impact, strength, and agility.
Key players like Mike Ditka, Ozzie Newsome, and Kellen Winslow have left significant legacies.
Stars like Travis Kelce have excelled in recent years.
In American football, the position of tight end sometimes gets the glory. Being a combination of offense and defense, they are responsible for catching passes and blocking. There have been many great players who have played in the position. Rob Gronkowski is one of the best New England Patriots players of all time.
There are many others. In more recent years, Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs has caught the eye. He is considered one of the greatest ever Chiefs players. Tall, strong, athletic and quick, he has all the assets required of a tight end. The competition among the top 10 in this position is intense. Here are the 10 greatest tight ends in NFL history.
Ranking factors
Impact - the standing they had with their teams and in the wider game itself.
Strength - the ability to block opponents.
Agility - the level of athleticism and how a player can change direction in a tight space.
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10 Mike Ditka
1961 to 1972: Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys
Mike Ditka Chicago Bears
Darryl Norenberg-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Ditka was a first-round draft pick in the 1961 NFL draft. It was thought he would play as a linebacker, not a tight end. There seemed to be some confusion about where he was playing. “No one knew what the heck it was,” said Ditka. “Tight ends when I came into the game were kind of an extension of the offensive tackle. They blocked most of the time.”
He led all NFL tight ends in receptions each year from 1961 to 1964. He won the NFL Championship with the Chicago Bears in 1963. He then won Super Bowl VI with the Dallas Cowboys, who beat the Miami Dolphins 24-3 in 1972.
|Mike Ditka stats|
|Matches|158|
|Yards run|5,812|
|Receptions|427|
|Touchdowns|43|
|Pro Bowl|5|
|---|
9 Ozzie Newsome
1978 to 1990: Cleveland Browns
Ozzie Newsome TE Cleveland Browns
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Ozzie Newsome was an NFL 1980s All-Decade team player. He was a first-round pick for the Cleveland Browns in 1978. Nicknamed 'The Wizard of Oz', when he retired in 1990, he was ranked as the fourth leading receiver. He was incredibly durable, playing 198 consecutive games without ever missing a single game due to injury.
One of his most notable games came in 1984 against the New York Jets. In it, Newsome caught 14 passes for 191 yards. He played in three Championship games, but lost each time to the Denver Broncos. Still, Newsome is highly regarded as an all-time great tight end of the NFL.
|Ozzie Newsome stats|
|Matches|198|
|Yards run|7980|
|Receptions|662|
|Touchdowns|47|
|Pro Bowl|3|
|---|
8 Kellen Winslow
1979 to 1987: San Diego Chargers
Kellen Winslow Sr. Chargers TE
Focus on Sport/Getty Images
Kellen Winslow never played in a Super Bowl, but his talent was undeniable. His entire career was spent with the San Diego Chargers. He once scored five touchdowns in a single game against the Raiders. He had great running ability too.
In 1982, he put in one of the great performances from a tight end. It was against the Miami Dolphins in the playoffs, where he made 13 receptions for 166 yards. He would later suffer a slew of serious knee injuries. Yet there is no doubt that Winslow, at his best, was a giant among men in the tight end position.
|Kellen Winslow stats|
|Matches|109|
|Yards run|6741|
|Receptions|541|
|Touchdowns|45|
|Pro Bowl|5|
|---|
7 John Mackey
1963 to 1972: Baltimore Colts and San Diego Chargers
John Mackey
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
John Mackey was part of the Baltimore Colts side that won Super Bowl V. That game saw one of his most famous plays. He caught a deflected pass from Johnny Unitas that produced a 75-yard touchdown. This was a Super Bowl record at the time.
Mackey was well aware of his standing in the game: “I got to prove to people I’m as good as they are saying. Sure, I got dollar marks for eyes, but I also have pride in my job. I don’t care if I don’t get a pass, just as long as I can take two men with me on my pattern."
|John Mackey stats|
|Matches|139|
|Yards run|5236|
|Receptions|331|
|Touchdowns|38|
|Pro Bowl|5|
|---|
6 Jason Witten
2003 to 2018: Dallas Cowboys
Jason Witten
Jason Witten had many great games. This is a man who once made 18 receptions against the New York Giants in 2012. He spent 15 years with the Dallas Cowboys. In 2012, he broke the single-season record for most receptions by a tight end. His record-setting catch was his 103rd in a game with the New Orleans Saints.
Witten played an incredible number of games – 271 in total. To put that into context, Rob Gronkowski played 143. His best season for scoring touchdowns came in 2010, when he registered nine. In 2012, he made 110 receptions. He was consistency personified.
|Jason Witten stats|
|Matches|271|
|Yards run|13,046|
|Receptions|1228|
|Touchdowns|74|
|Pro Bowl|11|
|---|
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5 Shannon Sharpe
1990 to 2003: Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens
Shannon Sharpe Denver Broncos
RVR Photos-USA TODAY Sports
Shannon Sharpe was a three-time Super Bowl winner with the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens. He was the 192nd pick in the 1990 NFL draft. Given his career, this makes him one of the biggest steals in NFL draft history. In 2002, in a game with the Kansas City Chiefs, he recorded 214 receiving yards.
Other highlights include 13 catches in a game with the Chargers in 1996. Something of a personality, Sharpe was known for his cutting sense of humour. With the Broncos giving the Patriots a pounding, Sharpe picked up a red telephone on the sideline and said: “Mr. President, we need the National Guard. We need as many men as you can spare because we are killing the Patriots.”
|Shannon Sharpe stats|
|Matches|204|
|Yards run|10,060|
|Receptions|815|
|Touchdowns|82|
|Pro Bowl|8|
|---|
4 Travis Kelce
2013 to present: Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce is a three-time Super Bowl winner with the Kansas City Chiefs. His success with the Chiefs led to him becoming one of the highest-paid players in the NFL in 2024. Blessed with reliable hands, Kelce has created a reputation for his receiving ability.
In 2020, Kelce became the first tight end in NFL history to record five seasons of 1,000 yards. That consistency has cemented his place within the top five of these rankings. The Chiefs fell short of winning three Super Bowls in a row when they lost to the Eagles. Yet Kelce is still a giant of the game.
|Travis Kelce stats|
|Matches|175|
|Yards run|12,151|
|Receptions|1004|
|Touchdowns|77|
|Pro Bowl|10|
|---|
3 Rob Gronkowski
2010 to 2021: New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Rob Gronkowski New England Patriots
MIchael Ivins-Imagn Images
Rob Gronkowski was an incredibly effective tight end. Playing against the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017, he made 168 yards in receptions. He has won the Super Bowl with both the New England Patriots and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was drafted by the Patriots 42nd overall in the second round during the 2010 NFL draft.
Tom Brady is full of praise for his former teammate: “He’s got great hands, great instincts, awareness. I think what people don’t realize, he’s an elite blocker, and what he does in terms of red area, third down, locking in the run game—you can run behind him. Every run is available because you can run behind him. He catches the ball down the field, catches the ball short, run after catch, incredible hands. It’s just a real privilege to play with him."
|Rob Gronkowski stats|
|Matches|143|
|Yards run|9,286|
|Receptions|621|
|Touchdowns|76|
|Pro Bowl|5|
|---|
2 Antonio Gates
2003 to 2018: San Diego/ LA Chargers
Antonio Gates SDC
Antonio Gates was a powerhouse. He recorded 116 touchdown catches during his career. He is one of the tight ends who have the most receiving touchdowns in NFL history. Having played basketball at college level, he was signed as a free agent by the Chargers.
His touchdown catch against the Colts in 2004 is one that stands out in his mind. It tied him for the single-season record for tight ends,
“That was my second year, and I became the all-time [single-season] leader. That's crazy," he said. "None of that stuff ever even registered to me. I was just playing. I was a college basketball player, and that's what makes this thing so unique, but I was also a competitor.”
|Antonio Gates stats|
|Matches|236|
|Yards run|11,841|
|Receptions|955|
|Touchdowns|116|
|Pro Bowl|8|
|---|
1 Tony Gonzalez
1997 to 2015: Kansas City Chiefs and Atlanta Falcons
MixCollage-06-Nov-2023-11-18-PM-2374
Tony Gonzalez was quite literally a safe pair of hands. Aside from his rookie year, he never caught fewer than 59 passes in a season during his career. He also surpassed 80 catches eight times.
Sadly for Gonzalez, he never played in a Super Bowl, but it wasn’t for the want of trying. In the only conference Championship game he played in his career, he caught eight passes. That was for 78 yards and a touchdown. Still, the Falcons lost to the 49ers. A wonderful athlete who was rarely injured, Gonzales is always considered one of the greatest tight ends in history.
|Tony Gonzalez stats|
|Matches|270|
|Yards run|15,127|
|Receptions|1325|
|Touchdowns|111|
|Pro Bowl|14|
|---|
Stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference. Stats correct as of 10/07/26.