Travis Kelce And Rob Gronkowski Have No Bad Blood (Despite Constant Comparisons)

Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski are compared to each other in many ways. Both Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski play as tight ends, with Kelce currently playing for the Kansas City Chiefs and Gronkowski having played for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Additionally, both have great chemistry with their respective quarterbacks and are known for their outgoing personalities, often being the life of the party.

During an appearance on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon," Gronkowski attributed his outgoing personality to his upbringing, revealing that he participated in all of the Buffalo Bills' pre-game rituals. "I was telling everyone, 'It makes me better if I party. I'm a better player out on the field,'" he explained, adding that his habit of getting physical at parties "translated" well to how he operated on a football field. And on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes crowned Kelce as the "most valuable partier."

While fans debate who is the better tight end between Kelce and Gronkowski, the two NFL players have mutual respect for each other.

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill accidentally sparked a debate when he tweeted that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were the best quarterback and tight end duo in the NFL. Fans were quick to mention that although the two Kansas City Chiefs players are great together, they were no match for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski.

But it seems the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end has a lot of love and praise for his Chiefs counterpart. Gronkowski once said that Kelce was the "best player on the Chiefs offense" and mentioned that Kelce improves his performance every year, which is a rarity among NFL players.

"I have so much respect for him," Gronkowski said on the "Next Pats" podcast. He added that he enjoys the comparisons, and he likes the fact that the tight end position is being recognized amid the debate. "He's having a heck of a career," he said, mentioning that both have a unique style and approach to the game. "I respect his game like no other, but I'm not here to say whose career was at the top. I'll just let you guys do that." And it seems Kelce has returned the respect to Gronkowski.

Travis Kelce spoke about his admiration for fellow tight end Rob Gronkowski on the "New Heights" podcast in October 2022. He praised the former New England Patriots' style of play and even acknowledged that he considers Gronkowski and Tom Brady the best quarterback and tight end duo in the NFL. He also mentioned that he isn't trying to be better than the former Tampa Bay Buccaneer and draws inspired by his excellence on the field.

In January, when Gronkowski appeared on the same podcast, Kelce expressed his awe at Gronkowski's record of scoring the most touchdowns in a single season by a tight end. Kelce admitted that he has been chasing that level of greatness since Gronkowski's standout season, saying, "I want to be that f***ing guy."

So, being compared to Gronkowski isn't all that bad. Even Stephen A. Smith said that Kelce is "the modern-day version of Rob Gronkowski" on "First Take." The NFL analyst added that his connection with Patrick Mahomes is similar to the former New England tight end's connection with Tom Brady.