Tony Gonzalez, who made $74 million in 17 years, could've broken crazy Jerry Rice stat
Tony Gonzalez is one of the NFL's greatest tight ends and found his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He made $74 million from contracts during his career. The tight end accompanied a lot during his 17 seasons in the NFL, but there's one record that eluded him. Gonzalez is second in NFL history for most consecutive games with a reception.
He had a record 211 straight games when he retired from the league in 2013. Rice owns the record with 274 consecutive games. Rice's streak started in December 1985 and ended when he was a member of the then-Oakland Raiders in September 2004.
The former Kansas City Chiefs great trails Jerry Rice in a number of other categories. His 15,127 receiving yards are the sixth-most in NFL history as the San Francisco 49ers great is the all-time leader at 22,895.
Gonzalez is third all-time in receptions behind Rice (1,549) and Larry Fitzgerald (1,432). He is 86 touchdowns behind Rice in NFL history (197). Amongst tight ends, the former University of California player is statistically the best at the position.
Tony Gonzalez is first in yards, second to Chargers great Antonio Gates in touchdowns, and is one of two with over 1,000 career receptions. The other is former Dallas Cowboys star Jason Witten.
Did Tony Gonzalez end his career with the Chiefs?
Kansas City traded one of the best players in franchise history to the Atlanta Falcons in 2009. Gonzalez didn't miss a step at age 33 with 86 receptions, 867 yards and six touchdowns in his first season in Atlanta. He was second in all three categories for the Falcons in the 2009 season.
His best season with the Falcons came in 2012 when he led the team in receptions (93) with 930 yards and eight touchdowns. It was the closest he came to making his first-ever appearance in a Super Bowl as the Falcons came up short in the NFC Championship game to the 49ers.
Happy 47th birthday, Tony Gonzalez!
Career Stats:
• 17 seasons (270 games)
• 1,325 catches
• 15,127 receiving yards
• 111 TDs
• 14x pro bowler, 10x all-pro
• Most career receiving yards by a TE
• Most career receptions by a TE
• HOF Class of 2019
#Falcons #Chiefs https://t.co/XzTJppopFK
In 80 games with Atlanta, Tony Gonzalez had 409 receptions, 4,187 yards and 35 touchdowns. He ranks in the top five in franchise history in receptions and the top 10 in yards and touchdowns. However, he's the Chiefs' all-time leader in those categories.
Gonzalez is tied for second most Pro Bowl appearances (14), was a six-time first-team All-Pro and is a member of the Hall of Fame All-2000s team.