- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1997–2013
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 88.0
- Statistics
- 96.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 94.0
GOAT Rank · 12
Greatest American Football Tight end of all time
This ranking uses verified career records and GOAT Rank's published model. Every listed athlete clears the data eligibility threshold.
#AthleteGOAT Score
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1990–2003
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 90.0
- Longevity
- 88.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1961–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 88.0
- Longevity
- 82.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2003–2018
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 84.0
- Statistics
- 94.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1978–1990
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 92.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1963–1972
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 94.0
- Dominance
- 86.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2013–active
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 84.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1974–1984
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 90.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 80.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2010–2021
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 86.0
- Longevity
- 74.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 2003–2020
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 84.0
- Dominance
- 74.0
- Statistics
- 90.0
- Honours
- 80.0
- Longevity
- 90.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1968–1977
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 88.0
- Dominance
- 80.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 78.0
- Sport
- American Football
- Career
- 1979–1987
- Country
- 🇺🇸 United States
- Peak
- 92.0
- Dominance
- 82.0
- Statistics
- 88.0
- Honours
- 82.0
- Longevity
- 66.0
| # | Athlete | Sport | Country | Career | GOAT Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Tony Gonzalez | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1997–2013 | 91.6 |
| 28 | Shannon Sharpe | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2003 | 89.6 |
| 85 | Mike Ditka | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1972 | 88.1 |
| 93 | Antonio Gates | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2018 | 87.9 |
| 179 | Ozzie Newsome | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1978–1990 | 86.3 |
| 180 | John Mackey | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1972 | 86.3 |
| 193 | Travis Kelce | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2013–— | 86 |
| 238 | Dave Casper | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1974–1984 | 85.2 |
| 273 | Rob Gronkowski | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2010–2021 | 84.1 |
| 307 | Jason Witten | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2020 | 82.8 |
| 308 | Charlie Sanders | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1977 | 82.8 |
| 327 | Kellen Winslow | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1979–1987 | 81.7 |
Compare the leaders
Tony Gonzalez vs Shannon SharpeRead the full methodology
Sport lists use the raw In-Sport GOAT Score. Cross-sport lists use the official competition-depth adjustment. No scores are recalculated for this page.
Read the full methodologyFrequently asked questions
How is this ranking calculated?
Five verified components are weighted consistently: dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Who is included?
Only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible.
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