“I’m a complete tight end. I’m the whole package.”
Rob Gronkowski has already heard plenty of talk about comparisons between him and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
The two tight ends are destined for Canton in the coming years, with both superstars playing key roles in establishing dynasties with the Patriots and Chiefs.
But as the 35-year-old Kelce aims to win his fourth Super Bowl next month with the Chiefs, the discourse should only continue to heat up over which tight end has put together the greater career between him and Gronkowski.
There’s no discounting Kelce’s credentials, with the explosive tight end serving as Patrick Mahomes’ go-to receiving option for years now.
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Even though Kelce has seemingly slowed down over these last two seasons in Kansas City, he has still reeled in 190 receptions over that stretch.
Gronkowski may not have the same longevity (143 games to Kelce’s 175) or receptions (621 to Kelce’s 1,004). But Gronkowski also served as more of a traditional tight end and red-zone target for Tom Brady and New England’s offense.
Beyond the fact that Gronkowski has 15 more career touchdowns than Kelce (in 32 fewer games played), Gronkowski held court as arguably the best blocking tight end in the league during his prime — a key role that Kelce has not usually been assigned in Kansas City’s offense.
Speaking on 98.5 The Sports Hub’s “Zolak & Bertrand” on Wednesday, Gronkowski brushed aside the comparison talk between him and Kelce — noting that even though they played the same position, their actual play style and strengths were very different.
“Travis Kelce is built differently than I am,” Gronkowski explained. “He’s built to be in that type of offense and to be that type of player, and to not really be used in the blocking game as much as a guy like myself. I’m built at 6-foot-6, 265 [pounds] to be a complete package, be in-line, blocking tackles, blocking linebackers, blocking defensive ends, and that was the style of offense I was in as well. And that’s the style of football I want to play as well, because I believe the blocking got me open.
“I feel like I wouldn’t have as much success if I was in an offense that was just more spread out, and I wasn’t lining in-line as much, because the play-action game is what got me open [the] majority of the time. It got me basically half of my yards as well when Tom just faked the hand-off and just dumped it to me.”
While Gronkowski’s role in New England’s offense helped the Patriots win three Super Bowls during his tenure there, it might have impacted his baseline numbers when compared to Kelce’s lofty stat lines.
However, Gronkowski stressed that he wouldn’t have wanted a different role or scheme in New England, even if it meant more targets for him.
“I’ve had that thought before, but I just don’t think that would work with who I am,” Gronkowski said. “I’m a complete tight end. I’m the whole package. I feel like I wanted to be able to block defenders out there and have the running back run behind me through a gapping hole.”
The comparisons between Kelce and Gronkowski likely aren’t slowing down, especially if Kelce does three-peat with the Chiefs on Feb. 9.
But Gronkowski doesn’t seem to be losing sleep over the talk, considering that both he and Kelce have both established themselves as some of the greatest tight ends in league history.
“It’s just the way that we’re built overall,” Gronkowski said. “He fits the scheme that he’s in, and I fit the scheme that I was in. So, I’m very satisfied with the style that I played, man, and I would never see myself playing a different style either, ever.”
