Jason Kelce gives his honest opinion on the debate surrounding his brother being the GOAT TE. His answer will shock you!
The debate is hardly about who’s the better TE anymore; it has transcended to something much more: Who is the GOAT TE? The opinions are already pouring in, but Jason Kelce’s was the most astounding (and really unexpected) one. The former Eagle safety ditched his brother and cast his vote for the all-time favorite TE of the NFL: Rob Gronkowski.
It all started with a casual conversation between Kelce and the hosts of Green Light with Chirs Long. Even though it was tricky territory for him, Kelce had his verdict ready. “I am biased—he’s my brother, but listen, Gronk was fantastic.” Jason said, voicing out his admiration for Rob Gronkowski. Former Philadelphia TE Brent Celek agreed with Jason’s words, even adding his take to it.
“I think Gronk was a better blocker,” Celek said, pointing out the obvious difference in the two tight ends. Gronk’s 621 catches for 9,286 yards and 93 touchdowns, not to mention 5 Pro Bowl selections, etch him as one of the finest TEs the pro league has seen. But that’s not all.
With the position of TE evolving over the decades, the vital skill of blocking the QB often took a backseat in most cases. But not with Gronk. The TE not only struck the perfect balance between striking and blocking, but his blocks made the GOAT of the NFL, Tom Brady, stronger in his play calling. In other words, bettered Tom Brady’s game by delivering some punishable blows he delivered to the defenders. Now, add the numerous championships and the golden Patriots era to this. This is precisely why Rob Gronk still reigns as one of the finest TEs.
But wait, let’s shift gears and move towards Travis Kelce for a second. To start off with, Gronk took about 11 seasons to amass all these numbers and the fandom. Travis Kelce, on the other hand, has surpassed the fandom part in just 9 years of playing with the Chiefs (given he did not see any action in 2013, his first year with Kansas). Not to mention all the impressive stats that Travis Kelce has bagged in this time, like becoming the fastest TE in NFL books to reach 11,000 receiving yards or his nine-time Pro Bowl selections.
Even ESPN has named Travis Kelce the best TE in their positional lists on the 2024 list. Despite all these stats, why was Gronk named the GOAT by his own brother, you may ask? The main reason was Gronk’s unmatchable blocking skills. Jason Kelce even revealed that even Travis Kelce would agree with Gronk being a better blocker.
However, this is where Jason’s brotherly instincts kicked in and he stood up for Travis. Per Jason, Travis had not trained himself to block. “But I think if Trav was in a system that required him to do it, I think he could have done that stuff. Well, I think he would be conditioning his body differently and doing. He has it in him to be a good blocker,” Jason Kelce said, advocating for his brother.
Keeping aside all the could-haves, Gronk’s indelible mark on and off the statistics sheet sets his name in stone as a GOAT in the hearts of many. But Travis Kelce still has all the time to change it and his best chance of doing it will be winning a three-peat this season.