[Starcade Media] Gronk vs Kelce? Shannon Sharpe settles the debate via @TheSchmo312
October 17, 2025
[Starcade Media] Gronk vs Kelce? Shannon Sharpe settles the debate via @TheSchmo312
40 comments
Suprised he didn’t say himself hahaha
Longevity has to matter
It’s why the Mount Rushmore argument is becoming more and more popular.
It’s Kelce/Gronk …. Tony G …. the argument is really for #4 on that mountain.
They are so even that it comes down to one thing for me: Availability.
Gronk has the best individual season of any TE ever, but Kelce has the longevity and was rarely unavailable, which i think gives him the edge.
“Settles the debate”
He basically calls it a coin flip.
Gronk vs Kelce would’ve been close if Kelce retired four years ago, but Kelce is now so far ahead in every single regular season and postseason stat.
People who pick Gronk like the IDEA of Gronk. They just handwave away all the years of injuries and missed games and inconsistency.
You’re debating Kelce’s very real career against whatever made-up fantasy they think Gronk could’ve had based on his best 3 years.
Kelce has:
– 3200 more yards (reg season)
– 700 extra yards (playoffs)
– 5 more pro bowls
– 3 more All-Pros
It’s not close
High praise from a legend at the position.
It’s Travis because of how these GOAT conversations are framed. All Gronkowski can really claim over Kelce is that Gronk had a couple of all time dominant seasons – particularly 2011 which might be the best TE season ever. Kelce has him beat in every other possible metric, and it’s not even close.
Also, all the “well, Gronk was the better run blocker” shit is tired and wrong. Gronkowski was an elite run blocker for the first three years of his career, after which he declined **significantly**. All the highlights people show are always from that time period. After those years, Gronk and Kelce were pretty much the same run blockers.
Kelce has 7 consecutive seasons of 1,000 plus yards (could’ve been 8 if he didn’t set out week 18 a couple seasons ago). Gronk only had 4 and they weren’t consecutive. 7 straight years with those numbers are insane. There’s plenty of elite WRs that have played the game that can’t say that.
Also Kelce has a very real chance to end this year holding every major receiving record in the playoffs. Kelce is the GOAT. You can say Gronk had a higher peak, but Kelce’s peak was twice as long and he’s still playing at a high level, even though him and Gronk are the same age.
Kelce has more All-Pro selections (same amount of 1st team, but more second-team), twice as many probowl selections, 3 more thousand yard seasons, 7% higher catch percentage, and as others have mentioned, better longevity.
His blocking, while not as good as gronks, is not as bad as people think. His peak PFF run blocking and pass blockimg grades (by season) are 83.5 and 73.8 respectively. People like to act like while Gronk is some freak of nature blocker, that somehow makes Kelce a total liability in blocking which just isn’t true.
Kelce clears.
I don’t care what you post. You can’t make me not hate Shannon Sharpe.
Who is the “better” player? Gronk.
Who had a better career? Kelce (while still being active)
Unc is on the money with this one. It’s a matter of preference.
Still crazy to me that Gronk is same age as trav
The numbers aren’t close at all unless you really, really overvalue TDs.
Kelce had 7 1000 yard seasons in a row. Gronk had 4 his entire career. Gronk’s 5th best season as far as receiving yards is about the same as Kelce’s 12th best.
Gronk’s(by far) best postseason lines up almost exactly with Kelce’s 5th best(Kelce had 1 fewer yard and 1 more TD).
If the numbers were actually close I would listen to arguments about blocking. If the postseason numbers were higher for Gronk I would listen. But they’re not close. If the per game numbers were higher for Gronk I wouldn’t really take the argument seriously, but it would be something.
Kelce mops the floor with him. And I really don’t care, just like I didn’t care when people were saying Gates was as good or better than Tony G(which has since been dismissed).
The only objective take is that anyone who says “Gronk clearly because he ACTUALLY blocks” doesn’t know any amount of ball which has been a nice dog whistle to come out of this debate.
I’m Tony G in this argument. Gronk is too brief of a career at an elite level to be in this conversation
Gronk had the highest peak but Kelce has passed him on all fronts for a better career.
Its not close between Kelce and Gronk. The real argument is Kelce or Gonzo.
Kelce and Gronk are the same age and Gronk has been on the couch for years
Generally speaking, I think Gronk is the pick if you prefer blocking and peak while Kelce is the pick if you prefer availability.
Personally, give me Kelce’s availability over Gronk’s extra blocking ability. It’s great that he was so passionate about being a great run blocker, but I don’t think his blocking is that much better than Kelce’s to negate the Iron Man streak he’s cultivated over his career.
It’s not an exact science, but I’d take 17 games and the entire postseason of Kelce’s 9/10 skills than 11 games of Gronk’s 10/10 and a crapshoot of “Will he or won’t he play?” in the postseason.
Gronk is the STRONGEST TE to ever play. I’ve searched for film of really any player carrying people down the field, and while I’ve found several who carry a few yards, Gronk was dragging players into the end zone. There are very few players in any position who could do that.
That being said Gronk refused to play with anyone but Brady. Even “retired” when he was gonna get traded to the Lions. Whereas Kelce more or less MADE Alex Smith, and debatably made Mahomes (when you consider QBs can lose confidence from the start and find it years later somewhere else. Look at Daniel Jones).
It’s a matter of do you like BBQ or sushi? is one of the smarter things Shannon has said.
One thing people forget is that while Gronk and kelce both had (future) HOF Qbs throwing them the ball, kelce also put up elite numbers with Alex Smith, while Gronk has ONLY ever played with a Hall of Fame quarterback. Not saying the Gronk wouldn’t have done great with Alex Smith, but we just don’t have that situation to actually reference.
There was even one whole season where Alex Smith never threw a pass to wide receiver until like the last few games. DEFENSES KNEW that the ball was going to Kelce and they still couldn’t stop him.
It’s like saying “Who’s a better runner, Usain Bolt or Eliud Kipchoge? They’re both runners, right?”
I have always called Gronk/Kelce as 1A/1B with no preference on which one is higher up. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. The stats can be presented in plenty of ways that show a clear lead for one or the other.
Kelce wins on everything but TDs, and I think people really put the thumb on the scale for Gronk’s TDs. Just like nobody can touch Brady because of the Super Bowls.
But I remember watching some of the those Pats games and it was a full and complete team marching down the field together. But as soon as they hit the red zone or goal line, it became a two man team. Brady laser focused on Gronk and capped the vast majority of drives with a Gronk TD—even if Gronk didn’t do anything else to contribute to the drive. So Gronk just hoovered up those TD stats because no one covered him in the end zone for some reason…even though Brady always went to him and everyone knew it was coming.
Kelce is a key ingredient for the Chiefs throughout the game and is essential for the matriculation down the field with pivotal 3rd and 4th down conversions and acting as a decoy. That’s why his total yards are so consistently impressive. When KC gets to the red zone, he’ll sometimes get the call, but he often he will not. He’s a generous player and doesn’t really pay attention to stats and doesn’t try to pad them. But still keeps breaking records.
I think we need to look at ALL of the stats as well as Kelce’s longevity. The people who say Gronk is the GOAT are usually fixated on TDs alone, ignoring the rest.
Hell, even Gronk has said Kelce’s probably got him at this point.
Stumbled upon this post as a Pats fan.
The choice between the two players is essentially preference. Gronk is far better in the blocking game and more of a traditional TE where Kelce is quicker and more used as a larger WR which provides mismatches for the defense’s secondary.
Gronk would make catches using his size and then run defenders over, and between that and the blocking his career was cut short compared to Kelce’s.
When you see them interviewed they both acknowledge what the other does with respect and both rightfully probably believe themselves as the greatest.
Tony Gonzalez is the goat as far as individual career success . Just doesn’t have the rings gronk and kelce have but that’s a part of team success.
Yeah, but what does this guy know about playing TE? /s
Kelce had as many thousand yard seasons without Mahomes as Gronk had total.
Last year Kelce was considered washed in what would have been Gronks fourth most yards ever and with him as the only healthy target.
Gronk is a better blocker but he gets credit for blocking like he is Larry Allen not like he is Marcedes Lewis.
He makes a good point. You can have a 1A and 1B
Kelce is better on field threat, but he’s always played a role of a big WR than a traditional TE and Gronk did that. Gronk can block miles ahead of what Kelce can. And bags what people on the internet want to point out
They’re both GOATs of the position.
Unc knows. Best analyst on TV
I vote Kelce, but I actually like the two of them together as joint greatest. Both were natural progressions of Tony G. Gronk’s dominance was physical, Kelce’s is creative.
Is Unc back on the air again? I thought nobody wanted anythign to do with him right now
Gronk has an argument for who was more dangerous at their peak. They both were unstoppable but he couldn’t stay healthy. Trav’s longevity and durability factor in. And his route running and ability to get open was better. Gronk was just always open because he was humongous. Travis had the best career of any TE
I’m a huge Chiefs fan. Travis Kelce is up there for one of the greats. At their peak nobody touches Gronkowski and Gronk had zero weaknesses. I totally get the argument for Kelce when you look at their entire careers however.
Maybe let’s not use a guy who paid 23mil to an Onlyfans model to settle a sexual assault accusation as part of our argument for why Kelce is great lol.
I’m just happy that once #87 hangs it up, and this debate becomes for real, there are a billion Swifties ready to jump into the comments. Call in the reinforcements, new Rex Ryan clip just dropped.
The Gronkians will never admit that Kelce was better, and the El Travedors will never admit that Gronk was better (because he wasn’t).
The debate should be between Kelce and Gonzalez, not Kelce and Gronk. Gonzalez was better than Gronk at everything except maybe blocking. Both were body up and rebound types, winning over the top. Kelce usually wins with route running, very agile for a dude that size. Different type of TE.
I mean just look at these highlights. Half would be called defensive pass interference these days.
Gonzalez 1, Kelce 2, Gronk 3, Winslow Sr / Gates at 4.
Well thats fucking dumb because Gronk is third below Kelce and Gonzales.
[Outside of touchdowns, Travis has THREE seasons](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/what-are-the-most-yards-by-a-te-in-a-season) better than Gronk’s best (and I have fond memories of watching the Pats that season just steamroll teams only to lose in the Super Bowl). The debate seems to be a debate between the eye test vs. stats and not an actual debate between players.
![[Starcade Media] Gronk vs Kelce? Shannon Sharpe settles the debate via @TheSchmo312](https://www.rawchili.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/dp5i2r9utpvf1-1284x1024.jpeg)
40 comments
Suprised he didn’t say himself hahaha
Longevity has to matter
It’s why the Mount Rushmore argument is becoming more and more popular.
It’s Kelce/Gronk …. Tony G …. the argument is really for #4 on that mountain.
They are so even that it comes down to one thing for me: Availability.
Gronk has the best individual season of any TE ever, but Kelce has the longevity and was rarely unavailable, which i think gives him the edge.
“Settles the debate”
He basically calls it a coin flip.
Gronk vs Kelce would’ve been close if Kelce retired four years ago, but Kelce is now so far ahead in every single regular season and postseason stat.
People who pick Gronk like the IDEA of Gronk. They just handwave away all the years of injuries and missed games and inconsistency.
You’re debating Kelce’s very real career against whatever made-up fantasy they think Gronk could’ve had based on his best 3 years.
Kelce has:
– 3200 more yards (reg season)
– 700 extra yards (playoffs)
– 5 more pro bowls
– 3 more All-Pros
It’s not close
High praise from a legend at the position.
It’s Travis because of how these GOAT conversations are framed. All Gronkowski can really claim over Kelce is that Gronk had a couple of all time dominant seasons – particularly 2011 which might be the best TE season ever. Kelce has him beat in every other possible metric, and it’s not even close.
Also, all the “well, Gronk was the better run blocker” shit is tired and wrong. Gronkowski was an elite run blocker for the first three years of his career, after which he declined **significantly**. All the highlights people show are always from that time period. After those years, Gronk and Kelce were pretty much the same run blockers.
Kelce has 7 consecutive seasons of 1,000 plus yards (could’ve been 8 if he didn’t set out week 18 a couple seasons ago). Gronk only had 4 and they weren’t consecutive. 7 straight years with those numbers are insane. There’s plenty of elite WRs that have played the game that can’t say that.
Also Kelce has a very real chance to end this year holding every major receiving record in the playoffs. Kelce is the GOAT. You can say Gronk had a higher peak, but Kelce’s peak was twice as long and he’s still playing at a high level, even though him and Gronk are the same age.
Kelce has more All-Pro selections (same amount of 1st team, but more second-team), twice as many probowl selections, 3 more thousand yard seasons, 7% higher catch percentage, and as others have mentioned, better longevity.
His blocking, while not as good as gronks, is not as bad as people think. His peak PFF run blocking and pass blockimg grades (by season) are 83.5 and 73.8 respectively. People like to act like while Gronk is some freak of nature blocker, that somehow makes Kelce a total liability in blocking which just isn’t true.
Kelce clears.
I don’t care what you post. You can’t make me not hate Shannon Sharpe.
Who is the “better” player? Gronk.
Who had a better career? Kelce (while still being active)
Unc is on the money with this one. It’s a matter of preference.
Still crazy to me that Gronk is same age as trav
The numbers aren’t close at all unless you really, really overvalue TDs.
Kelce had 7 1000 yard seasons in a row. Gronk had 4 his entire career. Gronk’s 5th best season as far as receiving yards is about the same as Kelce’s 12th best.
Gronk’s(by far) best postseason lines up almost exactly with Kelce’s 5th best(Kelce had 1 fewer yard and 1 more TD).
If the numbers were actually close I would listen to arguments about blocking. If the postseason numbers were higher for Gronk I would listen. But they’re not close. If the per game numbers were higher for Gronk I wouldn’t really take the argument seriously, but it would be something.
Kelce mops the floor with him. And I really don’t care, just like I didn’t care when people were saying Gates was as good or better than Tony G(which has since been dismissed).
The only objective take is that anyone who says “Gronk clearly because he ACTUALLY blocks” doesn’t know any amount of ball which has been a nice dog whistle to come out of this debate.
I’m Tony G in this argument. Gronk is too brief of a career at an elite level to be in this conversation
Gronk had the highest peak but Kelce has passed him on all fronts for a better career.
Its not close between Kelce and Gronk. The real argument is Kelce or Gonzo.
Kelce and Gronk are the same age and Gronk has been on the couch for years
Generally speaking, I think Gronk is the pick if you prefer blocking and peak while Kelce is the pick if you prefer availability.
Personally, give me Kelce’s availability over Gronk’s extra blocking ability. It’s great that he was so passionate about being a great run blocker, but I don’t think his blocking is that much better than Kelce’s to negate the Iron Man streak he’s cultivated over his career.
It’s not an exact science, but I’d take 17 games and the entire postseason of Kelce’s 9/10 skills than 11 games of Gronk’s 10/10 and a crapshoot of “Will he or won’t he play?” in the postseason.
Gronk is the STRONGEST TE to ever play. I’ve searched for film of really any player carrying people down the field, and while I’ve found several who carry a few yards, Gronk was dragging players into the end zone. There are very few players in any position who could do that.
That being said Gronk refused to play with anyone but Brady. Even “retired” when he was gonna get traded to the Lions. Whereas Kelce more or less MADE Alex Smith, and debatably made Mahomes (when you consider QBs can lose confidence from the start and find it years later somewhere else. Look at Daniel Jones).
It’s a matter of do you like BBQ or sushi? is one of the smarter things Shannon has said.
One thing people forget is that while Gronk and kelce both had (future) HOF Qbs throwing them the ball, kelce also put up elite numbers with Alex Smith, while Gronk has ONLY ever played with a Hall of Fame quarterback. Not saying the Gronk wouldn’t have done great with Alex Smith, but we just don’t have that situation to actually reference.
There was even one whole season where Alex Smith never threw a pass to wide receiver until like the last few games. DEFENSES KNEW that the ball was going to Kelce and they still couldn’t stop him.
It’s like saying “Who’s a better runner, Usain Bolt or Eliud Kipchoge? They’re both runners, right?”
I have always called Gronk/Kelce as 1A/1B with no preference on which one is higher up. They both have their strengths and weaknesses. The stats can be presented in plenty of ways that show a clear lead for one or the other.
Kelce wins on everything but TDs, and I think people really put the thumb on the scale for Gronk’s TDs. Just like nobody can touch Brady because of the Super Bowls.
But I remember watching some of the those Pats games and it was a full and complete team marching down the field together. But as soon as they hit the red zone or goal line, it became a two man team. Brady laser focused on Gronk and capped the vast majority of drives with a Gronk TD—even if Gronk didn’t do anything else to contribute to the drive. So Gronk just hoovered up those TD stats because no one covered him in the end zone for some reason…even though Brady always went to him and everyone knew it was coming.
Kelce is a key ingredient for the Chiefs throughout the game and is essential for the matriculation down the field with pivotal 3rd and 4th down conversions and acting as a decoy. That’s why his total yards are so consistently impressive. When KC gets to the red zone, he’ll sometimes get the call, but he often he will not. He’s a generous player and doesn’t really pay attention to stats and doesn’t try to pad them. But still keeps breaking records.
I think we need to look at ALL of the stats as well as Kelce’s longevity. The people who say Gronk is the GOAT are usually fixated on TDs alone, ignoring the rest.
Hell, even Gronk has said Kelce’s probably got him at this point.
Stumbled upon this post as a Pats fan.
The choice between the two players is essentially preference. Gronk is far better in the blocking game and more of a traditional TE where Kelce is quicker and more used as a larger WR which provides mismatches for the defense’s secondary.
Gronk would make catches using his size and then run defenders over, and between that and the blocking his career was cut short compared to Kelce’s.
When you see them interviewed they both acknowledge what the other does with respect and both rightfully probably believe themselves as the greatest.
Tony Gonzalez is the goat as far as individual career success . Just doesn’t have the rings gronk and kelce have but that’s a part of team success.
Yeah, but what does this guy know about playing TE? /s
Kelce had as many thousand yard seasons without Mahomes as Gronk had total.
Last year Kelce was considered washed in what would have been Gronks fourth most yards ever and with him as the only healthy target.
Gronk is a better blocker but he gets credit for blocking like he is Larry Allen not like he is Marcedes Lewis.
He makes a good point. You can have a 1A and 1B
Kelce is better on field threat, but he’s always played a role of a big WR than a traditional TE and Gronk did that. Gronk can block miles ahead of what Kelce can. And bags what people on the internet want to point out
They’re both GOATs of the position.
Unc knows. Best analyst on TV
I vote Kelce, but I actually like the two of them together as joint greatest. Both were natural progressions of Tony G. Gronk’s dominance was physical, Kelce’s is creative.
Is Unc back on the air again? I thought nobody wanted anythign to do with him right now
Gronk has an argument for who was more dangerous at their peak. They both were unstoppable but he couldn’t stay healthy. Trav’s longevity and durability factor in. And his route running and ability to get open was better. Gronk was just always open because he was humongous. Travis had the best career of any TE
I’m a huge Chiefs fan. Travis Kelce is up there for one of the greats. At their peak nobody touches Gronkowski and Gronk had zero weaknesses. I totally get the argument for Kelce when you look at their entire careers however.
Maybe let’s not use a guy who paid 23mil to an Onlyfans model to settle a sexual assault accusation as part of our argument for why Kelce is great lol.
I’m just happy that once #87 hangs it up, and this debate becomes for real, there are a billion Swifties ready to jump into the comments. Call in the reinforcements, new Rex Ryan clip just dropped.
The Gronkians will never admit that Kelce was better, and the El Travedors will never admit that Gronk was better (because he wasn’t).
The debate should be between Kelce and Gonzalez, not Kelce and Gronk. Gonzalez was better than Gronk at everything except maybe blocking. Both were body up and rebound types, winning over the top. Kelce usually wins with route running, very agile for a dude that size. Different type of TE.
I mean just look at these highlights. Half would be called defensive pass interference these days.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ugC6SDg8hTc&si=m2EJNCcHuTdH6RZh
Gonzalez 1, Kelce 2, Gronk 3, Winslow Sr / Gates at 4.
Well thats fucking dumb because Gronk is third below Kelce and Gonzales.
[Outside of touchdowns, Travis has THREE seasons](https://www.statmuse.com/nfl/ask/what-are-the-most-yards-by-a-te-in-a-season) better than Gronk’s best (and I have fond memories of watching the Pats that season just steamroll teams only to lose in the Super Bowl). The debate seems to be a debate between the eye test vs. stats and not an actual debate between players.