Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski caught the 78th touchdown pass of his career on Sunday, and that puts him in some very elite company.
The 29-year-old Gronkowski is now tied for third all time for the most touchdown catches in NFL history for a player in his 20s. Randy Moss, who had 101 touchdown catches before turning 30, and Jerry Rice, who had 95 touchdown catches before turning 30, are the only players with more. Terrell Owens also had 78 touchdown catches before his 30th birthday.
Gronkowski should catch at least a few more touchdown passes this season, before turning 30 in the offseason. He won’t catch Rice or Moss, but 80 or 85 touchdown catches before turning 30 is not too shabby.
Injuries have limited Gronkowski for much of his career, and he’s already talking about walking away from the game. So it’s safe to say he won’t finish with anything close to Rice’s incredible total of 197 touchdown catches. But he’s already done more in his 20s than almost any player in NFL history.