From 99-0, TeamFB7 is looking back on the greatest players in NFL history to don each jersey number. No ties allowed, tough decisions will be made — next is No. 87 and Travis Kelce.
No, this isn’t a wedding present to Travis Kelce on the day he and Taylor Swift hold their arena-sized nuptials at Madison Square Garden.
Scroll online and social media debates, and there are plenty of football fans and even prominent voices who would argue that Rob Gronkowski is in fact the greatest tight end of all-time — let alone the greatest No. 87 in NFL history.
And sure, there is a case to be made.
Gronkowski married (see what we did there) elite blocking with dynamic receiving threat perhaps better than anybody before or since. He was one of the most important cogs in the second half of the New England Patriots’ dynasty and one of the most entertaining talents in NFL history.
At his peak, he probably was the greatest tight end ever.
But that peak was much shorter and more tenuous than some may remember.
Why Gronk Wasn’t The Pick For No. 87
In Gronkowski’s second season with the Patriots, 2011, he had 90 catches for 1,327 yards and an NFL-leading 17 touchdowns (plus a rushing TD!). That still stands as the record for touchdowns in a season by a tight end. He then had 10 catches for 145 yards and 3 TDs in the Patriots’ first playoff game and 5 catches for 87 yards in the AFC championship game before they lost to the New York Giants in Super Bowl XLVI.
Add in the utter wrecking ball he was as a blocker at 6-foot-6, 265 pounds and with a true zeal for unleashing physicality, and it was one of the all-time great seasons by a tight end — if not the greatest.
But then …
In 2012, Gronkowski broke his left forearm in Week 11, ended up playing just 11 games and reinjured his arm in the playoffs, requiring a further surgery.
In 2013, he developed an infection in that forearm that necessitated a third and later fourth surgical procedure, he also underwent offseason back surgery and later tore the ACL and MCL in his knee, ending his season after seven games as the physical toll that would undercut his career mounted.
More Bad Luck For Gronkowski
After bouncing back with consecutive 1,100-yard seasons with double-digit touchdowns in 2014 (capped by a Super Bowl title) and 2015, Gronkowski was limited to eight games in 2016 before another back surgery. He was on injured reserve when the Patriots won the Super Bowl that year.
He had his final 1,000-yard season in 2017 while playing in 14 games and then had 9 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs in New England’s Super Bowl LII loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The next year, he played in 13 games with diminished production (47-682-3) but had 6 catches for 87 yards in Super Bowl LIII as the Patriots beat the Rams 13-3.
Gronkowski sat out the 2019 season before returning to the NFL to reunite with quarterback Tom Brady in Tampa Bay, had 45 catches for 623 yards and 7 TDs and caught 6 passes for 67 yards and 2 TDs in Super Bowl LV for his fourth ring (third as an active contributor) as the Buccaneers beat Kelce’s Chiefs, 31-9.
After one final injury-marred season in 2021, he retired for good at 32 years old with 621 career receptions for 9,286 yards and 92 TDs (third-most by a TE) in 143 regular-season games, plus an 89-1,273-15 line in 22 postseason games.
Gronkowski earned five Pro Bowl selections and four first-team All-Pro honors.
Rob Gronkowski vs. Travis Kelce
The best of Gronk may well have been peak tight end performance, but to make the case that he had a better career in totality than Kelce is just simply forcing that point and ignoring all broader context.
Kelce has missed six games total over the last 12 seasons, making 11 straight Pro Bowls (granted, not the same measuring stick it once was) and reeling off a stretch in which he was named first-team or second-team All-Pro for seven straight seasons.
He posted seven straight 1,000-yard seasons, 12 straight 800-yard seasons and had a five-year pinnacle from 2018-22 in which he averaged 101 catches, 1,289 yards and 9 TDs.
Even Gronk himself had to acknowledge how special that is.
Travis Kelce’s Remarkable Peak And Consistency
| Year | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns | Chiefs’ Finish | Pro Bowl/ All-Pro |
| 2014 | 67 | 862 | 5 | No playoffs | |
| 2015 | 72 | 875 | 5 | L Divisional Rd. | PB |
| 2016 | 85 | 1,125 | 4 | L Divisional Rd. | PB, 1st Team |
| 2017 | 83 | 1,038 | 8 | L Wildcard Rd. | PB, 2nd Team |
| 2018 | 103 | 1,336 | 10 | L AFC Championship | PB, 1st Team |
| 2019 | 97 | 1,229 | 5 | W Super Bowl | PB, 2nd Team |
| 2020 | 105 | 1,416 | 11 | L Super Bowl | PB, 1st Team |
| 2021 | 92 | 1,125 | 9 | L AFC Championship | PB, 2nd Team |
| 2022 | 110 | 1,338 | 12 | W Super Bowl | PB, 1st Team |
| 2023 | 93 | 984 | 5 | W Super Bowl | PB |
| 2024 | 97 | 823 | 3 | L Super Bowl | PB |
| 2025 | 76 | 851 | 5 | No playoffs | PB |
*Kelce played just one game as a rookie in 2013 due to a knee injury.
Analyzing Kelce’s Career Marks
Speaking just in terms of regular-season performance, it would be hard not to give the edge to Kelce here. He ranks third all-time among tight ends behind Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten with 1,080 receptions and 13,002 yards and fifth with 82 TDs … and counting.
Kelce ranks eighth among all players in career receptions and should move into the top 5 this year.
Then there are all the other records and elite feats as Kelce has …
– The most consecutive and most overall 1,000-yard receiving seasons by a tight end with seven.
– The single-season tight end record of 1,416 receiving yards (despite playing in only 15 games).
– Tied the record for most consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions by any player, matching Tim Brown at 10 with the chance to extend that further this year.
– Three seasons with 100+ receptions, while only one other tight end has even two such seasons (the Arizona Cardinals’ Trey McBride).
– The tight end record of most regular-season games with at least 100 yards (38), passing Gronkowski.
How Travis Kelce Stacks Up Among Tight Ends All-Time
| Player | Years | Receptions | Yards | Touchdowns |
| 1. Tony Gonzalez | 1997-2013 | 1,325 | 15,127 | 111 (2nd) |
| 2. Jason Witten | 2003-20 | 1,228 | 13,046 | 74 (6th) |
| 3. Travis Kelce | 2013- | 1,080 | 13,002 | 82 (5th) |
But then there is the postseason impact too. As much as that’s a boost to Gronkowski’s own career resume, it’s even more so for Kelce.
Kelce has played in five Super Bowls (same as Gronk) and has three Super Bowl rings (same number Gronk has as an active contributor, not counting the fourth ring when he was on injured reserve).
But Kelce has the ultimate distinction of being the all-time leader (at any position) in postseason receptions with 178 (27 more than the legendary Jerry Rice), while ranking second with 2,078 postseason receiving yards (behind Rice’s 2,245). He also holds the record for most 100-yard receiving games in the postseason with nine (one ahead of Rice).
With at least one more season still to come …
Kelce Tops Gronk
Ultimately, the debate for the best No. 87 in NFL history came down to two legendary tight ends — with honorable mention respect to former Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne (11th all-time with 1,070 receptions and 10th with 14,345 receiving yards) and a pair of Hall of Famers in former Raiders/Oilers/Vikings TE Dave Casper (1974-84) and former Falcons/Eagles DE Claude Humphrey (1968-81).
As for a wedding gift for Kelce and Swift, we’ll send a TeamFB7 gravy boat to the tabloid power couple — being our pick as the greatest No. 87 is simply well-earned by the Chiefs tight end.
