Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce is one of the biggest names in the NFL right now and most people consider him to be the best tight end in the league. Before Kelce, the New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski was the TE that most people considered to be the best, and now, the Kelce vs. Gronkowski debate rages on as fans often debate who the better TE is.
Both Rob Gronkowski and Travis Kelce have similar resumes and have had similar experiences in the NFL. Gronkowski was part of the dynasty that the Patriots had and he won a lot of Super Bowls in New England. Now, Kelce and the Chiefs seem to be the next NFL dynasty, and Kelce is starting to rack up the rings.
One former NFL player who is on team Gronk in this debate is former Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman. Edelman was part of the dynasty days with the Patriots and he was teammates with Gronkowski. He recently appeared on The Bill Simmons Podcast and discussed why he thinks Gronkowski is the better TE.
Bill Simmons: I almost think of him (Travis Kelce) like a 6’6 right off the line semi-slot receiver more than like a tight end. I know he blocks people but…
Julian Edelman: He blocks but like I said, Gronk, I’m a Gronk guy, Team Gronk, nothing but respect for Kelce and what he’s done. I think he’s a flat-out stud. Like I said, savvy, route running, but when it came down to like nitty-gritty blocks like we used to run to Gronk, you know what I mean, because a lot of times you run away from the tight end, we used to run to Gronk.
Edelman clearly has a ton of respect for Kelce, but that is his reasoning for why he thinks Gronkowski is the better TE.
At the end of the day, both of these guys are two of the best TEs that the NFL has ever seen. Kelce is still in the league and has some time to catch up to Gronkowski in terms of Super Bowl rings, too. With the way the Chiefs have looked the past few seasons, it would be surprising if Kelce doesn't end up with more Super Bowl wins. He only needs one more to tie Gronk.
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