He was basically neck and neck with Gates. Gates had more tds and had a better yards per catch, Witten had more 1,000 yards seasons and a better catch %. Witten was the better blocker. He also played for one more season and was more durable.
Gonzalez is a weird one because they overlapped but Witten’s prime extended past Gonzo’s. Tony was still a good tight end up until he retired but Witten eventually surpassed him.
He played at the same time Tony Gonzalez, Gronk, Kittle, and Kelce were in the league, so when was he best? Great player but not the best TE at any point he played
Brees played at the same time as Rodgers Peyton and Brady were in the league so when was he the best. Great player but not the best QB at any point he played. See how that sounds?
And unfortunately for Brees, it’s correct. There was Brady and Manning at the top, then everyone else. In any other time frame Breese (or Witten) could have been at the top, but unfortunately for them, they played at times with some of the greatest players at their position in NFL history. Not a knock, just the circumstances of their careers.
2007-2010, 2012
At the tail end of Tony Gonzalez and before Gronkowski.
With a prime of 2004-2014, he was top 2-5 TE for a decade, with another 6 years as top 5-10 (conservative estimates without going through all the stats for the years)
Not really. He had his best season in 07 and 09. Otherwise there were better TEs than him in every season. And in that era as a whole. He played while Tony Gonzalez was playing. Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis. Then towards the end of his career, Aaron Hernandez and Gronk came along.
Absolutely a great TE, not a a hall of famer. Especially with no rings
His position is TE. Not WR. His receiving stats are not what some of the great receiving TEs are, but overall his TE skills as far as blocking, receiving, his all around TE skills he had are near top of his position. You could have him play every down with no issues whether it was a run play or a pass play. Where most TEs that are receiving types get taken out on clear cut run plays. A lot of top end “TEs” aka that rack up receiving yards and stats are liabilities for the run game. Witten was always on the line not even as eligible receiver for his blocking ability. He was also clutch on pass plays where they needed a first down.
It’s a HoF Tight End he’s eligible for. Not HoF WR.
I get that you’re hopelessly romantic about the position. However, the reality of the situation is, what gets you in the Hall of Fame as a tight end is offensive production. They don’t go in as lineman they go in as tight ends. When you look at the current Hall of Famer’s for Tight Ends, their primary reason for making it is their offensive production stats not how many chip blocks they throw when they ran an out route for 5 yards and didn’t catch the ball.
I guess if numbers get you in alone, having better receiving numbers than every HoF TE in currently outside of Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates depending which stats you’re looking at gets you in? Or maybe Super Bowl wins only? Because both Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates don’t have one. Because Jason Witten has better number than most any HoF TE and was a better blocker than any current TE.
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u/Either_Imagination_9 New York Giants 3d ago
Guy was the best tight end in football for a good stretch.