- 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 ends of all time
This ranking is led by Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe and Mike Ditka. GOAT Rank currently ranks 12 eligible American Football tight ends using verified career records across dominance, peak, longevity, honours and statistics.
Quick answer
According to GOAT Rank's current model, Tony Gonzalez ranks #1 on this list with a GOAT Score of 91.6.
How the GOAT Score is calculated →#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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Tony Gonzalez | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1997–2013 | 91.6 |
| 27 | Shannon Sharpe | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1990–2003 | 89.6 |
| 82 | Mike Ditka | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1961–1972 | 88.1 |
| 90 | Antonio Gates | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2018 | 87.9 |
| 174 | Ozzie Newsome | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1978–1990 | 86.3 |
| 175 | John Mackey | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1963–1972 | 86.3 |
| 188 | Travis Kelce | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2013–active | 86.0 |
| 233 | Dave Casper | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1974–1984 | 85.2 |
| 268 | Rob Gronkowski | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2010–2021 | 84.1 |
| 302 | Jason Witten | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 2003–2020 | 82.8 |
| 303 | Charlie Sanders | American Football | 🇺🇸 United States | 1968–1977 | 82.8 |
| 322 | 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?
According to GOAT Rank's current data model, only verified athletes with sufficient career history, metrics, honours and independent sources are eligible. Rank and score are read live.
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