Tom Brady – Rob Gronkowski vs. Patrick Mahomes – Travis Kelce: Who is the better QB-TE duo statistically?

Tom Brady-Rob Gronkowski and Patrick Mahomes-Travis Kelce will go down as two of the greatest iconic duos in NFL history.

Tom Brady – Rob Gronkowski vs. Patrick Mahomes – Travis Kelce: Who is the better QB-TE duo statistically?

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes (Image via IMAGO)

When it comes to the best quarterback and tight end/receiver duo, Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski were levels above everyone else. However, the pair of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce is gaining on them fast.

Back in 2024, Mahomes and Kelce broke a record that remained untouched for a long time. During the AFC Divisional fixture against the Buffalo Bills, Mahomes found Kelce for a touchdown late in the game. It helped the Chiefs secure a place in the conference title game.

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The touchdown was monumental. Mahomes qualified for his sixth straight championship game. It was also the 16th touchdown scored by the Mahomes-Kelce pair in the playoffs. They crossed Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s 15 post-season touchdowns.

This achievement should make Mahomes-Kelce the best quarterback/tight end duo in the history of the NFL. But are they? Or are they still chasing Brady and Gronkowski?

Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski’s NFL careers in numbers

Tom Brady

Tom Brady is the oldest of the four (Kelce, Gronkowski, and Mahomes). After the Patriots drafted the California native, Brady played 20 seasons with the Patriots and two seasons for the Buccaneers.

During his two-decade-long stint with the Patriots, Tom Brady threw 74,571 yards and 541 touchdowns with the Patriots, which both rank as the most for a single team in NFL history. Including playoffs, Brady’s 135 wins and 304 touchdowns at the Gillette Stadium in Boston were the most by any QB at one stadium in NFL history.

Brady won six Super Bowls with the Patriots.

  • 2002: Super Bowl XXXVI: Defeated the St. Louis Rams/Los Angeles Rams (Super Bowl MVP)
  • 2004: Super Bowl XXXVIII: Defeated the Carolina Panthers
  • 2005: Super Bowl XXXIX: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles
  • 2015: Super Bowl XLIX: Defeated the Seattle Seahawks (Super Bowl MVP)
  • 2017: Super Bowl LI: Defeated the Atlanta Falcons (Super Bowl MVP)
  • 2019: Super Bowl LIII: Defeated the Los Angeles Rams

Brady also lost three Super Bowls—twice to the New York Giants and once to the Philadelphia Eagles.

He left the Patriots in 2020 to play for the Buccaneers. In his first year with the Buccaneers, Tom Brady won his seventh Super Bowl.

  • 2021: Super Bowl LV: Defeated the Kansas City Chiefs (Super Bowl MVP)

Tom Brady played a total of 335 NFL games, winning 251 times and losing just 82. He completed 7753 passes for 89,214 yards, 649 touchdowns, and 212 interceptions in the regular season. In the postseason, he threw 1200 completions for 13,400 yards, 88 touchdowns, and 40 interceptions.

Tom Brady - Rob Gronkowski vs. Patrick Mahomes - Travis Kelce: Who is the better QB-TE duo statistically?
(L) Rob Gronkowski, (M) Travis Kelce and (R) Tom Brady (Image via Barstool Sports)

Rob Gronkowski

The Patriots drafted Rob Gronkowski in 2010. By that time Brady had won three Super Bowls. Gronk lost his first Super Bowl against the Giants, but every time he played in it later on.

Rob Gronkowski played 11 seasons in the NFL, 9 for the Patriots and 2 with the Buccaneers. He recorded 621 receptions for 9286 yards and 92 touchdowns in the regular seasons, along with 98 receptions for 1389 yards and 15 touchdowns in the playoffs.

Brady and Gronkowski played together a total of 141 times.

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s NFL careers in numbers

Patrick Mahomes

  • College: Texas Tech (201-16)
  • Drafted: 2017, 1st round, 10th pick
  • NFL Team: Kansas City Chiefs

Patrick Mahomes only played one game in his rookie season. Mahomes was appointed the starting quarterback during his second year. Since then, he has started a total of 111 games, winning 89 times and losing only 22 times (23 total). He completed 2778 passes for 32,352 yards for 245 touchdowns and 74 interceptions in the regular seasons, along with 511 completions in the postseason for 5814 yards, 46 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

Patrick Mahomes has won three Super Bowls in his first seven years of football.

  • 2019 Super Bowl LIV: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl MVP)
  • 2022 Super Bowl LVII: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles (Super Bowl MVP)
  • 2023 Super Bowl LVIII: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers (Super Bowl MVP)

Travis Kelce

  • College: Cincinnati Bearcats (2008-12)
  • Drafted: 2013, 3rd round, 63rd pick
  • NFL Team: Kansas City Chiefs

Travis Kelce has played 12 seasons in the NFL. In that period, Kelce played a total of 175 games, catching 1004 passes for 12,151 yards and 77 touchdowns in the regular season, along with 178 receptions (the most by a receiver/tight end in the postseason) for 2078 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Travis Kelce played in four Super Bowls with Patrick Mahomes, winning three times.

  • 2019 Super Bowl LIV: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers
  • 2022 Super Bowl LVII: Defeated the Philadelphia Eagles
  • 2023 Super Bowl LVIII: Defeated the San Francisco 49ers

Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have played 93 games together.

Tom Brady and Patrick Mahomes have faced each other six times before Brady retired after the 2022 season. They share a 3-3 head-to-head record. Mahomes has a 3-1 record against Brady in the regular season while Brady is 2-0 in the playoffs.

Mahomes and Kelce certainly make a great case as the greatest duo in football history, but they still have a ways to go to catch Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski. In fact, Bleacher Report placed the San Francisco 49ers legendary pair of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice as the best quarterback and receiver partnership ever.