‘He gets better every single year’: Rob Gronkowski on Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce
As he prepares to play in his sixth Super Bowl later this week, Rob Gronkowski admits that the position he plays for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is much different today than it was when he was first breaking into the NFL more than a decade ago with the New England Patriots.
Tight ends are more versatile. Instead of being used as glorified blockers on run plays, they now line up as receivers, catch passes and star on fantasy teams.
In other words, tight end is a lot more fun than it used to be.
“I feel like 20 years ago it wasn’t cool to play tight end,” Gronkowski said during a Super Bowl video conference on Monday. “Now there’s many different types of tight ends. You can line up all over the place, to the left, in the backfield or up on the line. That’s what makes the position really cool and intriguing to kids. It’s the cool position. You can line up everywhere on the field.”
Gronkowski is one of the main reasons why the tight end position is viewed differently today.
He has grabbed 566 catches for 8,484 yards and 86 touchdowns during his NFL career and become a bonafide celebrity off the field following his success with Tom Brady in New England and now Tampa Bay.
But Gronkowski didn’t do it alone. He gives just as much credit, if not more, for the evolution of tight ends to the player he will try and outduel on Sunday — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
So much so, that Gronkowski called Kelce (not Patrick Mahomes or Tyreek Hill) “the best player in the Chiefs’ offense.”
“I got nothing but major respect for Travis Kelce,” Gronkowski said. “He has helped transform the tight end position. He has helped put the tight end position on the map. Speaking contract-wise, he has helped the tight end position get paid the way they deserve to get paid.
“One thing that is very intriguing about Travis Kelce, and I have never really seen this with any other player in the NFL ever before, is that guy gets better every single year that I’ve seen him play in the NFL.”
Much like last year’s Super Bowl, Sunday’s game will once again feature two of the league’s most prominent tight ends.
Kelce has been the brightest star at his position with 105 catches for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. Gronkowski had a quieter 45 catches for 623 yards and seven touchdowns, but showed improvement as the season went on and he regained his rapport with Brady after a year in retirement.
Gronkowski says they have met a few times and get along off the field. That’s probably because of the connection they share on it as influential players at their position.
“Tight ends used to be overshadowed by wide receivers and running backs,” Gronkowski said, “so it’s great to see so many great tight ends now in the NFL that are making a huge impact in the game.”
This story was originally published February 1, 2021 at 12:27 PM.