Long before Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was wreaking havoc in the open field, Shannon Sharpe set the blueprint for modern-day tight ends.
Sharpe’s name should rank near the top of the best tight ends of all time, joined by the likes of Mike Ditka, Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, Jason Witten, Ozzie Newsome, Rob Gronkowski, and not many more.
However, among all of them, Kelce and Sharpe stand alone in a very exclusive club.
Recently, the Chiefs star became just the second tight end to have at least five games with 150+ receiving yards, one shy of Sharpe’s record.
That’s why the Pro Football Hall of Famer took to Twitter to express his surprise over this stat.
😮😮😮😮😮😮😮 https://t.co/D9RBI9wwve
— shannon sharpe (@ShannonSharpe) October 26, 2023
Notably, Sharpe has always had big words of praise for Kelce, recently calling him the greatest tight end of all time.
Kelce has already secured a spot in the Hall of Fame, and he’s still in his prime, so it’s just a matter of time before he catches — and maybe even surpasses — Sharpe on that list, especially considering he’s — by far — Patrick Mahomes’ best weapon in the passing game.
Even so, as dominant, explosive, and reliable as Kelce is and has always been, one cannot overlook the fact that the game has changed a lot since Sharpe played.
Not to take anything away from a living legend like Kelce, but Sharpe did all that against tougher defenses and in a less pass-happy league, and it would be crazy to think how his numbers could’ve been if he played today.
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