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The 50 tight ends with the most receiving yards, 1999–2026

Every tight end on this list is ranked on one number: receiving yards in the regular season between 1999 and 2026. Nothing else is weighed, and the figures each ranking rests on are in the table.

Tony GonzalezTony Gonzalez: 14,09414,094Travis KelceTravis Kelce: 13,24813,248Jason WittenJason Witten: 13,04613,046Antonio GatesAntonio Gates: 11,84111,841Rob GronkowskiRob Gronkowski: 9,2869,286Greg OlsenGreg Olsen: 8,6838,683Zach ErtzZach Ertz: 8,6148,614Jimmy GrahamJimmy Graham: 8,5458,545George KittleGeorge Kittle: 8,2528,252Vernon DavisVernon Davis: 7,5627,562Jared CookJared Cook: 7,2377,237Heath MillerHeath Miller: 6,5696,569Jeremy ShockeyJeremy Shockey: 6,1706,170Mark AndrewsMark Andrews: 6,1016,101Benjamin WatsonBenjamin Watson: 6,0726,072
Receiving yards — the leading 15. Every one of the 50 is in the table below.
#PlayerPosSeasonsReceiving yardsRecTD
1Tony GonzalezTE1999–201314,0941,229107
2Travis KelceTE2014–202613,2481,09684
3Jason WittenTE2003–202013,0461,22874
4Antonio GatesTE2003–201811,841955116
5Rob GronkowskiTE2010–20219,28662192
6Greg OlsenTE2007–20208,68374260
7Zach ErtzTE2013–20268,61482857
8Jimmy GrahamTE2010–20238,54571989
9George KittleTE2017–20268,25261156
10Vernon DavisTE2006–20197,56258363
11Jared CookTE2009–20217,23755345
12Heath MillerTE2005–20156,56959245
13Jeremy ShockeyTE2002–20116,17054837
14Mark AndrewsTE2018–20266,10150257
15Benjamin WatsonTE2004–20196,07254844
16Delanie WalkerTE2006–20195,88850436
17Todd HeapTE2001–20125,86949942
18Dallas ClarkTE2003–20135,66550553
19Owen DanielsTE2006–20155,65947936
20Evan EngramTE2017–20265,44955227
21Hunter HenryTE2016–20265,42846747
22Kellen WinslowTE2004–20135,23646925
23Marcedes LewisTE2006–20245,11543740
24Brent CelekTE2007–20174,99839831
25Kyle RudolphTE2011–20224,77348250
26Dallas GoedertTE2018–20264,75741437
27Alge CrumplerTE2001–20104,74337339
28Chris CooleyTE2004–20124,71142933
29T.J. HockensonTE2019–20264,63545527
30Martellus BennettTE2008–20174,57343330
31Darren WallerTE2015–20264,55538728
32Randy McMichaelTE2002–20124,53942624
33Austin HooperTE2016–20264,48143531
34Dalton SchultzTE2018–20264,28042627
35David NjokuTE2017–20264,12939034
36Tyler HigbeeTE2016–20264,09040128
37Mike GesickiTE2018–20263,98836427
38Charles ClayTE2011–20193,86835724
39Eric EbronTE2014–20213,83735133
40Zach MillerTE2007–20143,80432820
41Marcus PollardTE1999–20073,76931035
42Jermaine GreshamTE2010–20183,75237729
43Trey McBrideTE2022–20263,71738019
44Noah FantTE2019–20263,65934221
45Kyle PittsTE2021–20263,64628915
46Jonnu SmithTE2017–20263,61435030
47Jordan ReedTE2013–20203,60235528
48Desmond ClarkTE1999–20103,59132327
49Shannon SharpeTE1999–20033,30128618
50Jordan MatthewsTE2014–20243,28827422

How this list is made

Ranked on receiving yards in the regular season, 1999–2026, for players listed at TE. Players are ranked on that number alone and on nothing else: there is no judgement here about who was better. Where two players are level they share a rank, and the list runs past fifty when fiftieth place is shared, because splitting a tie would mean choosing between them on no stated basis.

Why it does not say “of all time”. Every NFL statistic this site holds begins in 1999. A list claiming to cover all time would leave out Lawrence Taylor, who retired in 1993, along with everyone else who played before the figures start. That is why the years are in the title.

These figures are derived, and can differ from the NFL’s official records. They are computed from play-by-play data rather than copied from the league. Checked against published career sack totals, Cameron Jordan, Von Miller and J.J. Watt match exactly, while Julius Peppers came out 0.5 short and Terrell Suggs 1.0 — both careers that began before 2011. Expect small differences on long careers that start early in the window.

Regular-season games only; the play-offs are not counted. Source: nflverse-data, CC BY 4.0.

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