Rob Gronkowski weighs in on Travis Kelce and the GOAT TE debate

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Former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Rob Gronkowski has shared his thoughts on the GOAT tight end debate and where Travis Kelce fits in it.

There’s been a huge furore around Travis Kelce’s off-field antics in recent weeks, largely thanks to his blossoming (rumored) romance with a certain Taylor Swift.

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Kelce has been instrumental for the Chiefs this season

Amongst all the celebrity gossip and media attention, it’s easy to forget – although perhaps not among Chiefs fans – that he’s still the best tight end in the game.

The 34-year-old missed the first week of the NFL season through injury, and has been dealing with a right ankle issue which was heavily taped up during Thursday night’s victory over the Broncos.

Not that if affected him, as the 260-pound pass-catcher had nine receptions for 124 yards. So far this season he has 36 receptions for 346 yards and 3 TDs.

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Rob Gronkowski weighs in on Travis Kelce and the GOAT TE debate

Kelce’s accolades and achievements over the years has left many to ponder where he ranks all-time among the best tight ends. The likes of Tony Gonzalez, Kellen Winslow, Shannon Sharpe and Antonio Gates are just same of the names usually mentioned in the debate, as is former Patriots star Rob Gronkowski.

Gronk recently weighed in on the GOAT TE debate, admitting Kelce is the best receiving tight end ever.

Appearing on the Ryen Russillo Podcast, Gronkowski replied when asked if Kelce is the best ever: “I would say in a different aspect. I mean, I believe that Travis Kelce is the best, like, receiving tight end.

“If you’re talking about a tight end, he’s the best tight end in terms of catching the ball. There’s no doubt about it, you can’t even argue. I mean, he’s had seven 1,000-yard seasons in a row. He’s a great red zone target as well and when he’s not out on the field, they’re not the same team.”

The Chiefs TE is still adding to his legacy

However, the four time Super Bowl champion ultimately said it’s still up for debate.

He went on: “I would say, look, we were talking about just the way I played the game — old school style — it’s an argument. It’s an argument that I don’t want to make the final decision on. It’s an argument on, also, what type of offense you’re in, what type of style you have in the game, how they’re featuring you, what type of system you’re in, what players are around you as well.

“He’s just had a great career. He’s taking it to the top, and he just keeps taking it to another level each year. And he’s in his thirties, too, he’s the same age as me which is incredible, and he’s still going at that speed. So I’ll leave it up to you guys to debate the top tight end out there.”

Another Super Bowl will certainly help his cause

While it’s debatable who the No.1 spot ultimately goes to, it’s clear Kelce is in the conversation. He holds the NFL record for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 yards receiving by a tight end with 7. For his career he is also first in yards per game, fourth in total receiving yards and sixth in touchdowns among tight ends.

Last season he also became the fastest tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards, and only the fifth TE in NFL history to reach that milestone. If he’s able to add a few more Super Bowls to his resume he may well go down as the GOAT TE.