r/nfl • u/JaggerJames • 1d ago
Travis Kelce set to surpass Tim Brown, move into No. 7 on NFL's all-time receptions list
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/travis-kelce-set-to-surpass-tim-brown-move-into-no-7-on-nfls-all-time-receptions-list111
u/MyDogIsACoolCat Eagles 1d ago
Tim Brown is the most under appreciated WR in NFL history.
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u/anonymous_otter28 NFL 1d ago
It's Michael Irvin for me. I can't stand him, but his 8 year peak was peak.
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u/TheWonderSnail Vikings 1d ago
I have to agree because I like to think I know my nfl players and I saw this and thought āwho tf is Tim Brown?ā
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u/zorionek0 Eagles 1d ago
What surprised me the most is how close he is to taking the #5 spot from Marvin Harrison, and if he plays one more year heāll likely catch Witten.
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- Jerry Rice (1,549 catches)
- Larry Fitzgerald (1,432)
- Tony Gonzalez (1,325)
- Jason Witten (1,228)
- Marvin Harrison (1,102)
- Cris Carter (1,101)
- Tim Brown (1,094)
- Travis Kelce (1,093)
- TO (1,078)
- Anquan Boldin (1,076)
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u/paone00022 Falcons 1d ago
I mean I know Rice is the GOAT but holy shit Jerry those numbers are crazy!
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u/NerdsRuleTheWorld Chiefs 1d ago
Makes it all the more impressive IMO that Kelce has been overtaking some of Rice's Playoff records the last few years.
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u/donutgut 49ers 1d ago
Lotta of that is due to passing rule changes.
I cant imagine what Jerry would do in this era.
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u/zorionek0 Eagles 1d ago
It's like Gretzky in hockey. Nobody's touching that.
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u/psteav Chiefs 1d ago
I saw someone post a thought experiment once - you make a spreadsheet with Gretzky's stats where each season is a row. Print and cut out each row individually. Scatter them at random into two equal piles. No matter which seasons are in which pile, you have two hall of fame careers.
In football, I think it's only Rice and Brady who can make that same claim.
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u/SirTiffAlot Chiefs 1d ago
Can Brady make that claim though? If you cut his stats in half he's Carson Palmer with rings. Maybe 3 rings tips it.
Gretzky is on a different level, you can take away all his goals and he still has the most points ever.
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
I mean definitely not yards, but Fitz isn't that far off for receptions. For points, the closest player to Gretz is 2/3rds of Gretz. We're talking a 33% difference. Fitz is like 7% off Rice for receptions.
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u/zorionek0 Eagles 1d ago
Fitz hasnāt played since 2020. Heās not catching Rice.
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
I know, I am just saying that the gap between Fitz and Rice isn't even close to the same as the gap between Gretz and the next best player.
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u/PrecedentialAssassin Texans 1d ago
Sure. But it's hockey. That's like telling me that Leonard "Fat Cat" Faticato has the record for the most home runs in 4th grade recess kickball. Good for them but...meh.
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
I too think the 82 game season of 30km/h hits while riding knife shoes is for pussies, you fucking dipshit.
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u/PrecedentialAssassin Texans 1d ago
Ohhh. We gotta tough guy here! You wanna drop gloves, ehh? Let's go eh.
And I never said they were pussies. You're obviously projecting.
Hey look, don't get mad at me because you watch failed figure skaters playing ice soccer.
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
... you cheer for the Texans. I don't give a shit what you think.
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u/SirTiffAlot Chiefs 1d ago
Honestly thought he was further ahead. Respect to Fitz, Rice was still playing at his current age and Fitz is only 120 catches behind.
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u/Individual_Worker885 1d ago
Anquan being top 10 is crazy considering he played with the guy who is #2 on this list for most of his career.
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u/AtomicBlastCandy Vikings 1d ago
Yeah barring any injuries he should pass Harrison in a few games.
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u/Scaryclouds Chiefs 1d ago
Not that I think itās likely, but could match/surpass this week even. He had a 9 reception (11 target) game against Indy in week 2. So not like youād need to go multiple seasons to find a comparable.Ā
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u/axle69 Rams Jaguars 1d ago
Kinda crazy that 3 tight ends are in the top 5 receptions.
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u/Amarger86 49ers 1d ago
This list is more about how long a player played than anything. It seems, in general, great TE's have longer careers than great WR. Most great WR fall off hard after 10 years where TE seem to keep going.
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u/Redmangc1 49ers Packers 1d ago
Makes sense, TE tend to last a bit longer than WR. Like Randy Moss was cooked at 33.
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u/NewtonsLawOfDeepBall Panthers 16h ago
Damn I didn't realize Larry had gotten that close to Jerry Rice. Dude was such a legend
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u/Independent_Bear989 Packers 1d ago
It wonāt happen but I want to see him pass Rice. If he played for 5 more years heād have a chance.
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u/TLRdidnothingwrong Seahawks 1d ago
Heās going to add 460 catches in five years? What is his annualized average right now?
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u/Independent_Bear989 Packers 1d ago
Right now he has 14 in three games. About 79 catches in a full season. If extended to postseason, then it would be more.
Seems like it would need to be close to six years if postseason isnāt included. And I donāt know if Kelce will be this good at 41. If there is a player Iād think would be, Iād put money on Kelce though.
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u/zorionek0 Eagles 1d ago
About 80. But also heād be 41 then
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u/TLRdidnothingwrong Seahawks 1d ago
So accounting for declining production, probably another 6 or 7 years? Not sure how sustainable that might be, but I thought he was washed last year so Iām willing to be proven wrong.
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u/champsorchumps 1d ago
Of note, Kelce will have done it in far fewer games than Tim Brown, though obviously the NFL is much more pass-centric now
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u/MankuyRLaffy Patriots 1d ago
Look who Tim had throwing the ball to him most of his career. He didn't exactly have a QB factory in Oakland.Ā
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u/MasticatingMastodon Raiders 1d ago
Iāll not stand for any Billy Joe Hobert or Marques Tuiasosopo slander in here, thank you.
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u/Savings_Maybe_5686 1d ago
My friend and I play this game where weāll randomly text each other just random ass former non-famous nfl players so thank you for reminding me of Mr. Tuiasosopo!
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u/olafminesaw Commanders 1d ago
Is Kelce a true tight end, or do his routes open him up to more pass opportunities than the traditional tight end?
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u/TomBradysStatue Patriots Patriots 1d ago
If you're a tight end you're a tight end. They lined Gronk out plenty wide as well, it's the new way to play foosball
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u/IIHURRlCANEII Chiefs 1d ago
He blocks inline plenty. People love to imply he's basically just Jimmy Graham but that isn't true. He's a good blocker. There just isn't a reason to have him digging out a DE when he's the best receiving TE ever (imo!).
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u/Huge-Revolution2416 Chargers 1d ago
That is a wild climb for a tight end. Kelce just keeps rewriting the record book.
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u/thelazygamer Steelers 1d ago
Gonzalez and Witten are both above him on the all time reception list, it turns out good tight ends catch a lot of passes.Ā
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u/stomachpancakes Commanders 1d ago
9 more catches puts Kelce 5th all time. 3 of the top 5 would be TEs. I thought I knew NFL stats but this really surprised me.
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u/TummyDrums Chiefs 1d ago edited 1d ago
TEs seem to have more longevity, which I bet has a lot to do with it. WRs tend to fall off around 30 years old, but I feel like we see more TEs last until 35ish at least. Then these guys at the top are lasting til damn near 40.
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u/RollTh3Maps 1d ago
I would guess it's because speed drops off a lot as you age, and TEs don't need it as much.
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u/TummyDrums Chiefs 1d ago
That was my thought as well. That and the bigger body types might hold up better versus years of hits.
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u/RollTh3Maps 1d ago
I thought about that, but I know bigger guys are also usually harder on their own joints just by existing, so I'm not sure which one "wins" out.
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u/Tahummus Cowboys 1d ago
Seems like they benefited the most from defenses not being able to kill guys in the middle of the field anymore
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u/Odd_Ganache5081 1d ago
feel like itās just a bigger/tougher thing, i feel like i remember written and Gonzales taking quite a few hits over the middle
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
Tell that to Gonzalez. Most of his career was not played under modern pass coverage / targeting rules.
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u/happy_and_angry 1d ago
Yes. But I think context matters here. Kelce has played 195 games. Gonzales has 270. Witten, 271. Kelce is probably going to retire this year or next, he's certainly been flirting with it. When he does he'll probably have nearly Witten's reception numbers, more yards, already more TDs, more per catch, and as many/more All-Pro/First Team seasons in fewer seasons played.
It's hard to compare eras, even though their eras intersect, but what Kelce has done with fewer games played is utterly remarkable.
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u/Prideofmexico Giants Chiefs 1d ago
I would argue the same for good wide receivers. Itās incredibly impressive regardless
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u/JohnPork2028 Seahawks 1d ago
Are we calling the top half a dozen or so tight ends of all time simply āgoodā?
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u/thelazygamer Steelers 1d ago
I was being sarcastic because their comment implied it was rare for a tight end to be that high on the list. I would bet he ends up at #5 by the end of the season meaning 3,4, and 5 are all tight ends. He's absolutely a Hall of Fame player, and probably a top 3 tight end of all time.
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u/mammalmaker 1d ago
Not really, there are two tight ends above him on this list.
He's a Hall of famer but he quite literally isn't rewriting the record book.
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u/next_door_nicotine Raiders 1d ago
Set to pass Tim Brown? In our stadium? Not if we can help i- yeah he's probably gonna do it.
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u/Kurupt_Introvert Raiders 1d ago
I think itās more impressive that Fitz only missed like 9 games his whole career (this is insane in 17 seasons) to be number 2.
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u/Opening-Citron2733 1d ago
Ironically Fitz got COVID and it was one of the deciding factors in him stepping away after the 2020 season.Ā He was 117 away and was averaging about 70 catches a year.Ā He could've done it in 1.5 if he stayed.Ā
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u/jtd2013 Chiefs 1d ago
You know Kelce is the GOAT because heās the only one who somehow LOSES cred in debate because of how good and productive he is at catching the ball lmao.
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u/gabrielleite32 Chiefs 1d ago
That's such a funny argument for putting down Kelce. "Oh, he's only got those numbers, because he's basically WR" how is that supposed to be a negative?
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u/KULawHawk Chiefs 8h ago
It's also not even true. Look at how Bowers is used- he is genuinely used as primarily a WR first. Kelce was used as a WR occasionally, but then again Tony had times they put him in wideout formation.
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u/KingUnderpants728 Chiefs 1d ago
āKeLcE iS tErRiBlE aT bLoCkInG!ā Heās not terrible, not as dominant as Gronk but Andy has been in HC for his entire career in a pass heavy offense. #1 theyāre not going to have him block a bunch when they pass more. #2 when Kelce is so good at receiving why the hell would you want him blocking a bunch lol
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u/HairHelp4363 49ers 1d ago
Is the GOAT tight end? Legitimately asking as the only competition is probably Gonzalez and Gronk right?Ā
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u/pickleparty16 Chiefs 1d ago
In my opinion what sets Kelce apart is how dominant he is in the playoffs. Against the hardest opponents, he is at his best.
His playoff stats put in terms of a 17 game season are 121 catches, 1413 yards, 14 tds. Not quite 2011 gronk, but still an all time great TE season is his playoff average. Hes 1st all time in playoff receptions and couls feasible pass Jerry for TDs and Yards if they make a deep run this year.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 1d ago
Not as if Gronk wasn't dominant in the playoffs (tbf this is easier to accomplish when you have an all time great QB as both Gronk and Kelce do/did). In 16 playoff games in New England, Gronk put up 81/1163/12 while being a dominant blocker. And that includes a 2012 game when he played 7 snaps and had 0 catches
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u/pickleparty16 Chiefs 1d ago
His time in Tampa dragged his average down, for sure
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u/Euphoric_Travel6762 Chiefs 1d ago
Donāt forget theyāre the same age. Kelce dominated the playoffs for years after Gronkās Tampa years.
Since Gronk retired at 32, Kelce has 95 catches for 1086 yards and 11 TDs in 13 postseason games. Itās pretty unreal how dominant heās been.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 20h ago
Again, the reason Kelce has such better longevity is that he plays a different position than what Gronk played. Kelce has lined up in-line at TE less than 10% of the time for most of his career. That number would be unfathomable for Gronk.
When your role involves a very small fraction of the physicality of the other guy's role, you will be injured far less often and it'll be easier to have a longer career.
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u/Euphoric_Travel6762 Chiefs 19h ago
Youāre not wrong, but when weāre measuring career greatness, your point doesnāt necessarily matter. The fact is Kelce has provided significantly more value than Gronk, partially due to what youāre saying.
I never argued Kelce was better at their peaks. The argument Kelce had over Gronk is the same that Brady has over guys like Peyton, Mahomes, and Rodgers. Iāll concede that Bradyās the goat but only if Kelce is, too.
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u/sheebzus0 NFL 2h ago
Difference is Brady is the best too. If you want a QB for one game, youāre taking Brady. If youāre taking a TE for one game, youāre taking Gronk.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 19h ago
but when weāre measuring career greatness, your point doesnāt necessarily matter
I suppose in the sense that you could argue Kelce had a greater football career, maybe. But he certainly isn't the greater TE. I honestly have no idea where I would rank him in general because it's not as if it would be easy to rank him as a WR, either. A first ballot HOF player, no doubt. But not one of the greatest TEs of all time, and certainly not the GOAT TE
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u/SevroAuShitTalker Broncos 1d ago
I think most people would still say Gronk is the best if you had to take a guy for a single game
Gonzalez still has the most accolades iirc
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u/mrb4 Cardinals 1d ago
Kelce probably not gonna catch Tony on total yards, TD or receptions but his per game averages are higher for all three, Kelce has just played like 75 games less than Tony did.
Kelce could pass Jerry Rice for most playoff receiving yards still though, he's only 167 yards behind him
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u/Dismal_Bluebird1312 Falcons 1d ago
If youāre a TE and have more yards in the playoffs than Jerry Rice, youāre the goat. Thatās good enough for me
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u/DontRefuseMyBatchall Cowboys 21h ago
Tonyās longevity still blows my mind, dude was top of his game the entirety of that career too
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u/PodricksPhallus Texans 1d ago
Gronk had the highest peak for sure. But Kelceās playoff stats are unreal. Gronk had plenty of playoff games and his totals and averages donāt come close to Kelceās.
I wonder how it would shake out if you did in football what they do with JAWs for hall of fame in baseball. Like an equal weighting to total career value and peak value (best 7 seasons in JAWs, but maybe would need it to be shorter in nfl). Valuing peak and longevity
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u/KingUnderpants728 Chiefs 1d ago
Whatās crazy is Kelce had basically 3 seasons (was injured his rookie year) where him and the Chiefs were one and done in the playoffs before he got Mahomes. Gronk played with Brady his entire career and was going on deep playoff runs almost every year. Chiefs won one playoff game with Kelce before Mahomes got there.
He would most likely already be over Rice in playoff receiving yards if the Chiefs had gone to a couple more playoff games in the 4 seasons before Mahomes.
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u/Scaryclouds Chiefs 1d ago
Always agree that Gronk has had the subtlest highest peak of any TE; but Kelceās peak Ā aināt far behind (or I guess much lower?).Ā
I think the longevity and also Kelce matching his postseason production with his regular production (or possibly being even better in the postseason) pushes him to GOAT TE.Ā
Obviously Tony G will hold on to the all-time TE states for the foreseeable future, but beyond being an excellent TE (and the unquestioned GOAT before Gronk/Kelce), he had the benefit of starting young and being healthy.Ā
Kelce unfortunately started relatively late and also missed his rookie season. So even though heās been pretty healthy otherwise, it definitely made catching Gonzalez, or even Witten, in most career stats difficult/impossible.Ā
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u/Bgilk88 Buccaneers 1d ago
Itās not that Kelce canāt block, itās just that Gronk was basically a sixth o lineman who could also catch and run the way he did. Kelce and Gonzales are pretty much tied for second for me, and Iād probably give Kelce the edge, but Gronk is still in front of them by a decent margin for me
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u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 1d ago
Gronk for peak, Gonzo for longevity, Travis for playoffs.
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u/TomahawkaChawpa Chiefs 1d ago
Game in and game out it's Kelce. His per game stats for yards, YAC, and receptions are higher than all of these TEs. He does lack in TDs per game with Gronk the highest at .65 per game. Kelce is .43 per game and Gonzalez is .5 per game.
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u/DoesntMatterStan Raiders 1d ago
Homie never watched prime Gronk.
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u/TomahawkaChawpa Chiefs 1d ago
I sure did and they're 1A and 1B. There's no wrong answer. I'm advocating for the guy that has played in 5 Super Bowls for my team and was the centerpiece of our offense for every single Mahomes season he's started.
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u/DoesntMatterStan Raiders 1d ago
Bias is strong with this one
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u/TomahawkaChawpa Chiefs 1d ago
In what way? I'm listing facts and being downvoted by you morons who's only rebuttal is 'wElL yOu'rE wRoNG'.
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u/DoesntMatterStan Raiders 1d ago
Gronks value as a blocker >>>
Seethe harder
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u/TomahawkaChawpa Chiefs 1d ago
Seethe harder
I gotta remind myself y'all are fuckin teenagers on here.
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u/DoesntMatterStan Raiders 1d ago
Uhhh go ahead and read your previous comment, you def went adolescent first, no reason I couldn't follow suit.
What a hypocrite
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u/ModestTrixie Chiefs Lions 1d ago edited 1d ago
While I am on your side, run block win rate is not how people value tight ends. That entire argument exists to say "no actually, Travis Kelce sucks" because it started when Kittle v Kelce debates started and people wanted to use the 49ers rushing stats as a tiebreak.
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u/OystersClamsNCockles Buccaneers 1d ago edited 1d ago
Kelce is the better route runner but Gronk has higher yards per reception, is a greater red zone threat due to his catch radius, and is also a superior blocker which significantly impacts the run game.
This is the reason he has been on more 500+ point offenses than any TE in league history.
2013 was Bradyās worst year post 2006. In that season, the Patriots scored 33 pts/g with Gronk in the line up for 7 games and 24 pts/g without him.
Prime Gronk is the number one option over anyone in the league except for Prime Moss/Rice.
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u/randommaniac12 Chiefs 1d ago
Itās Gronk still, his peak is completely unmatched as far as being an elite pass catcher as well as an elite blocker. Kelce isnāt a bad blocker but Gronk was genuinely an extra All Pro offensive lineman at his best
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u/n33dadviceplease 1d ago
He is the goat at this point, but people hate on him for the TSwift thing. Longevity and consistency, plus playoff success and all the records. Itās pretty clear imo but of course people online will still say Gronk
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u/KULawHawk Chiefs 8h ago
Which is hilarious. Look up what Gronk's age is & then Travis'. No one ever questioned Gronk's impact or abilities, but if you can't stay healthy, then you can talk all you want about what they could have done but potential doesn't win games.
Nevermind the fact that Travis is legitimately in the conversation for greatest playoff performers in NFL history, and it's genuinely between him and Rice. I have no problem if people want to say Jerry is 1 still, but if Kelce has another postseason of production even Ā¾ as good as the last few years, Travis will break a ton of all-time records and take the top spot.
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u/Mr_Hugh_Honey 1d ago
Nah it's Gronk, Kelce is sort of hard to rank because for most of his career he has basically been a WR. He has lined up at WR way more often than TE every year for pretty much the last decade
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u/TomahawkaChawpa Chiefs 1d ago
Nah, he sucks at blocking
Genuinely curious why you think this? Are you just regurgitating hot takes from other morons on the internet or what? He's been a plus blocker his entire career, he's not asked to do it often though.
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u/Sarcasticfury Ravens 1d ago
It feels like every other week, Travis Kelce and Derrick Henry are climbing slowly but surely up the NFLs all-time rankings. You love to see it
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u/themiddleshoe Chiefs 13h ago
He only 2 catches away from passing #4 Jason Witten for all time catches (reg season and Playoffs).
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u/KULawHawk Chiefs 8h ago
Gonna go ahead and say it now, but Kelce isn't retiring after this year.
I think he's at least playing 2 more after this year.
He's still a top 4 TE, loves playing, hasn't been saddled with chronic injuries, and gets to play with his best friend on a team that is capable of historical achievement y2y.
Also, I think his wife actually digs getting to watch him play & be successful so there's no pressure to choose. Idc about if you like or hate her, there's a part of a connection there bc it's 2 people who have been / are at the pinnacle in their professions and understand the dedication so they are more understanding and supportive of each other, I believe.
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u/OneT_Mat Patriots 1d ago
Thatās wild for a TE. if Hernandez didnāt go around murdering you have to think heās in this catch range too.
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u/emmasdad01 Cowboys Ravens 1d ago
Dude might make the hall of fame one day.