Travis Kelce is returning for the 2025 NFL season, but questions have already begun circulating as it pertains to whether or not this will be the “last ride” for the Kansas City Chiefs‘ future Hall of Fame tight end.
Patrick Mahomes recently made headlines when asked about the possibility that 2025 could be Kelce’s last season. Kelce said in February he would play in 2025, but has not made any commitments beyond that.
“If it’s the last ride, you would never know,” Mahomes said of the 35-year-old Kelce. “The way he’s talking about football, the way he’s talking about working and trying to be even better this year than he was last year. He doesn’t seem like a guy that, it’s his last ride or he’s tired of the job. He’s in here, he’s working. I know his body feels good. I think it feels better than even last year before going into last season.
“I think he’s motivated to go out there and have an even better year.”
Kelce has already done enough to guarantee his future spot in Canton, Ohio. A Pro Bowler each of the last 10 years, Kelce is the NFL’s active leader with 1,004 career receptions. Currently fourth and fifth all time in career receptions and receiving yards, Kelce is also first in NFL history in career postseason receptions and second in career postseason receiving yards.
While Kelce will play at least one more season, here’s where he currently ranks all time among tight ends. The list includes every tight end currently in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one player who should already have a gold jacket and bronze bust in Canton and three players (Kelce, Rob Gronkowski and George Kittle) who should be shoo-ins for induction as soon as they are eligible.
15. Jackie Smith (Cardinals/Cowboys, 1963-78)
Career receiving stats: 480 receptions, 7,918 yards, 40 touchdowns
One of the NFL’s best tight ends during the 1960s, Smith’s career includes five straight Pro Bowl nods and a season (1967) that saw him record a career-high 1,205 yards receiving and a whopping-21.5 yards per catch. Sadly, Smith’s career is mostly remembered for his dropped pass that contributed to the Cowboys‘ loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XIII, the final game of his Hall of Fame career.
14. Pete Retzlaff (Eagles, 1956-66)
Career receiving stats: 452 receptions, 7,412 yards, 47 touchdowns
Oversight has to be what’s kept the former Eagles standout out of Canton, Ohio all these years despite having a career worthy of induction. A key member of the Eagles’ 1960 championship team, Retzlaff was 1965 recipient of the Bert Bell Award, which is given annually to the NFL’s top player. That season, Retzlaff (who led the NFL in receptions in 1958) caught 66 passes for 1,190 yards and 10 touchdowns (in a 14 game season, mind you) while averaging 18 yards-per-catch.
13. Charlie Sanders (Lions, 1968-77)
Career receiving stats: 336 receptions, 4,817 yards, 31 touchdowns
A seven-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, the 6-foot-4, 225-pound Sanders was an absolute nightmare for defensive backs. Way ahead of his time, Sanders used his size to his advantage while foreshadowing what the tight end position would ultimately become. His success with the Lions led to him being named to the NFL’s All-Decade Team for the 1970s.
12. Mike Ditka (Bears/Eagles/Cowboys, 1961-72)
Career receiving stats: 427 receptions, 5,812 yards, 43 touchdowns
From a pure talent standpoint, Ditka deserves to be higher on this list. Injuries, however, led to a short prime for the future Bears head coach who enjoyed a historic start to his playing career that included the most receiving yards by a rookie tight end in NFL history (his record stood for 63 years until it was broken in 2024 by Raiders tight end Brock Bowers).
After a rocky two-year stint in Philadelphia, Ditka ended his career with four productive seasons with the Cowboys that included a touchdown catch in Dallas’ first Super Bowl win.
11. George Kittle (49ers, 2017-present)
Career receiving stats: 538 receptions, 7,380 yards, 45 touchdowns
While he is currently just outside the top 10, Kittle should move up a few spots on this list before his career is over. The 31-year-old, six-time Pro Bowler is coming off of back-to-back seasons with over 1,000 yards. If he puts together at least three more seasons like that, Kittle will become the sixth tight end in history with over 10,000 career yards receiving, a milestone that should cement his future Hall of Fame status.
10. Ozzie Newsome (Browns, 1978-90)
Career receiving stats: 662 receptions, 7,980 yards, 47 touchdowns
As prolific as he was consistent, the durable Newsome played in 208 games during his Hall of Fame career. An All-Decade performer for the 1980s, Newsome played a key role in the Browns’ success during that time that included three AFC Championship game appearances over a four-year span.
9. John Mackey (Colts/Chargers, 1963-72)
Career receiving stats: 331 receptions, 5,236 yards, 38 touchdowns
The original standard-bearer for the position, Mackey was a thundering tight end who used his size and his underrated speed to carve out a Hall of Fame career. One of Johnny Unitas’ favorite weapons, Mackey’s career included a 75-yard touchdown catch (the longest play in Super Bowl history that the time) in the Colts‘ first Super Bowl victory.
8. Kellen Winslow (Chargers, 1979-87)
Career receiving stats: 541 receptions, 6,741 yards, 45 touchdowns
Winslow was a vital part of the Chargers’ revolutionary “Air Coryell” offense. In consecutive years, the 6-foot-5 Winslow led the NFL in receptions, an unheard accomplishment for a tight end. He had a performance for the ages in the Chargers’ 1981 divisional-round playoff win over the Dolphins, a game that is known in history as the “Epic in Miami.”
In one of the longest games in NFL history, Winslow (who battled cramps throughout the second half) was famously carried off the field by his teammates after catching 13 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown (and also blocking Miami’s potential game-winning field goal attempt) in leading San Diego to a 41-38 win.
7. Jason Witten (Cowboys/Raiders, 2003-17; 2018-19)
Career receiving stats: 1,228 receptions, 13,046 yards, 74 touchdowns
The king of consistency, Witten’s 11 Pro Bowl nods is the second most in history for a tight end. In addition to being one of the most prolific tight ends in NFL history, Witten is also the Cowboys’ career leader in receptions (he has 465 more catches than the next-closest Cowboy, Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin) and receiving yards, and is also second in franchise history in career touchdown catches.
6. Dave Casper (Raiders/Oilers/Vikings, 1974-84)
Career receiving stats: 378 receptions, 5,216 yards, 52 touchdowns
In addition to being arguably the best tight end of the 1970s, the “Ghost” was also part of two of the most iconic plays in NFL history: his over-the-shoulder catch (which was appropriately nicknamed “The Ghost to the Post”) in the Raiders’ win over the Colts in the 1977 playoffs and his touchdown that capped off the Raiders’ controversial “Holly Roller” play that led to a win over the Chargers during the 1978 season.
Casper was part of a historically good Raiders offense that in 1974 boasted a record seven future Hall of Famers.
Career receiving stats: 955 receptions, 11,841 yards, 116 touchdowns
A former college basketball player, Gates dunked on plenty of defenders during his Hall of Fame NFL career. Gates, who enjoyed a legendary partnership with quarterback Philip Rivers, caught 116 touchdowns during his career, the most ever for a tight end. He caught at least 10 touchdowns in a season four times and caught seven scores during his age-36 season.
4. Shannon Sharpe (Broncos/Ravens, 1990-03)
Career receiving stats: 815 receptions, 10,060 yards, 62 touchdowns
Sharpe’s career includes an incredible prime, impressive longevity and individual and team hardware to boot. Sharpe played a key role in the Broncos‘ back-to-back Super Bowl championship teams in the late 1990s. He then helped lead the Ravens to their first Super Bowl win in 2000; his 96-yard touchdown in that year’s AFC title game is the longest touchdown reception in NFL postseason history.
Sharpe also became a new standard-bearer for the position by becoming the first tight end to eclipse 10,000 career yards receiving.
3. Travis Kelce (Chiefs, 2013-present)
Career receiving stats: 1,004 receptions, 12,151 yards, 77 touchdowns
Kelce has taken the baton from previous greats at his position and run with it. In addition to his postseason records, Kelce’s seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards receiving is also a first for the position.
It’s hard to nitpick Kelce’s career, but if we are trying to figure out the greatest tight end in NFL history, we’ve got to look at everything. He’s played his entire career inside the Chiefs’ pass-first offense in an era where defensive backs are more limited than ever when it comes to what they can do against offensive players. Kelce’s disappearing act in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss (4/39/0) to the Eagles also somewhat hurts him from a legacy standpoint.
There’s no shame in being No. 3 on the list of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, though. And Kelce still has (at least) one more year to state his case as the greatest of all time.
2. Tony Gonzalez (Chiefs/Falcons) 1997-13
Career receiving stats: 1,325 receptions, 15,127 yards, 111 touchdowns
From a stats standpoint, no tight end in NFL history is better than Gonzalez, the position’s all-time career leader in catches (1,325) and receiving yards (15,127). The sure-handed Gonzalez’s 14 Pro Bowl nods is also the most ever for the position.
While Gonzalez is the most productive tight end in history, his postseason career doesn’t quite measure up to some of the other tight ends on this list. In seven career playoff games, Gonzalez caught 30 passes for 286 yards and four touchdowns. The majority of that damage was done in his final playoff season as a member of the Falcons.
1. Rob Gronkowski (Patriots/Buccaneers, 2010-18; 2020-21)
Career receiving stats: 621 receptions, 9,286 yards, 92 touchdowns
It’s debatable, but Gronkowski is the best tight end in NFL history, at least according to this writer. If it wasn’t for Gronkowski’s back injuries, there would probably be little debate as far as the greatest tight end in history is concerned.
Injuries aside, Gronkowski still enjoyed an remarkable career. In his second season, Gronkowski led the NFL in touchdown catches (17) while helping lead the Patriots to the Super Bowl. His touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLIX three years later helped New England capture its first Super Bowl win in a decade.
The NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year in 2014, Gronkowski again put up prolific numbers in 2017 after suffering a season-ending injury the previous year. His catch late in Super Bowl LIII sewed up New England’s sixth and most recent Super Bowl win. Two years later, following a brief retirement, Gronkowski caught two touchdowns in Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl win over Kelce and the Chiefs.
In addition to being an elite pass catcher and red zone threat (his 92 career touchdown catches is 15 more than Kelce despite playing in 32 fewer games), Gronkowski was considered a better blocker than both Kelce and Gonzalez. That is what put the Patriots great over the top.
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