Former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is widely regarded as the greatest tight end of all time, and one of his former teammates took the time to explain why.
Quarterback Brian Hoyer played with Gronkowski for four seasons and got to see his production firsthand. Gronkowski was an offense catalyst for New England for nine seasons, recording 7,861 receiving yards and 79 touchdowns. He immediately burst onto the scene, catching 17 touchdown passes in his second season in 2011. The touchdown catches are an NFL record to this day.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is certainly having a strong career in his own right, and he has started receiving comparisons to Gronkowski in terms of his playmaking ability. On top of that, the Chiefs are being compared to the Patriots as the next great dynasty. Hoyer was a guest on the “Pats from the Past Podcast” and made sure to give Gronkowski his flowers.
While Hoyer did not diminish Kelce’s efforts, he noted that blocking is something that separates the two.
“Having played with him, maybe I’m a little biased, but [Gronkowski is] the greatest tight end of all time,” said Hoyer. “Not only because of his size, speed, and when you think of a tight end’s ability to run routes and catch. But, because he was such a great blocker that teams had to honor that. And I think that’s what made him so dynamic.
“We look at Travis Kelce today, phenomenal tight end, but really, Travis isn’t blocking anybody. Rob would block like he was the right tackle. …Rob really changed the game in that matter because he was a lineman, who was the premier pass catcher at the same time.”
It’s hard to argue with Kelce’s accomplishments, especially with the Kansas City Chiefs primed to make another Super Bowl run in 2024. However, Gronkowski still reigns supreme as the best overall tight end, at least for now.