George Kittle is the highest-paid tight end in the NFL by average annual value. His contract averages $19.1 million per year, narrowly ahead of Trey McBride at $19 million. Kyle Pitts is third at $17,666,667, while T.J. Hockenson is fourth at $16.5 million.
This ranking covers the 32 highest contract averages at the position as of August 31, 2026. It measures salary, not current ability. For the football side of the discussion, see our rankings of the best tight ends in the NFL today, the best tight ends since 2020, the best tight ends of all time and the best tight end from every NFL season.
Table of Contents
How the Ranking Works
Average annual value, usually shortened to AAV, divides a contract’s base value by its number of years. It is the standard shorthand for comparing contracts of different lengths, but it is not the same as a player’s 2026 cap hit, cash earnings or guaranteed money.
The ranks use exact AAV, not the rounded figures that often appear in graphics and headlines. Players with identical contract averages share a rank, and the next rank skips the appropriate number of places. This matters near the bottom of the list: Dawson Knox and Colston Loveland both round to $6.7 million, but Knox ranks one spot higher when their exact averages are compared.
Top 10 Highest-Paid Tight Ends
1. George Kittle: $19.1 Million
Kittle holds the top spot by only $100,000 per year. His contract reflects the premium placed on a tight end who can be a featured receiver without sacrificing the blocking responsibilities of the position. The small gap over McBride also shows how tightly packed the top of this market remains.
2. Trey McBride: $19 Million
McBride sits just behind Kittle and owns one of the clearest examples of a young receiving tight end becoming a true offensive centerpiece. His deal helped establish $19 million as the modern benchmark for an elite player at the position.
3. Kyle Pitts: $17.67 Million
Pitts’ three-year deal has a base value of $53 million, producing an exact AAV of $17,666,667. That figure is lower than the $18 million number created by rounding, but it still places him comfortably third. His contract prices in the rare field-stretching ability that made him an unusually early draft pick for a tight end.
4. T.J. Hockenson: $16.5 Million
Hockenson remains fourth on the contract-average list. His $16.5 million figure is a useful reminder that AAV measures the value of the signed contract, not only the cash scheduled for one season. His deal was built around a high-volume receiving role and established production.
5. Isaiah Likely: $13.33 Million
Likely moved into the top five after signing with the New York Giants. His three-year, $40 million base deal averages $13,333,333 and reflects the market’s appetite for athletic tight ends who can create mismatches from multiple alignments.
6. Mark Andrews: $13.09 Million
Andrews ranks sixth at $13,089,000 per year. His placement says more about contract timing than it does about his peak production. The veteran has already supplied the receiving volume and touchdown value that teams seek when paying a tight end like a major part of the passing game.
7. Dalton Schultz: $12.6 Million
Schultz leads a crowded middle tier of contracts. His value comes from dependable route work, availability and the ability to function as a steady option within the structure of an offense rather than as a specialized receiving piece.
8. Jake Ferguson: $12.5 Million
Ferguson matches Kmet at $12.5 million per year. His rise into the top 10 reflects how quickly a reliable middle-of-the-field target can earn a significant extension once he becomes a trusted part of a passing offense.
8. Cole Kmet: $12.5 Million
Kmet shares the No. 8 rank because his contract carries the same exact average as Jake Ferguson’s. His deal rewards the full every-down profile: size, blocking utility, red-zone value and enough receiving production to remain involved regardless of personnel grouping.
10. Pat Freiermuth: $12.1 Million
Freiermuth completes the top 10 ranks at $12.1 million. His contract is built around consistency, strong hands and usefulness in high-leverage areas of the field. Because Kmet and Ferguson share eighth place, there is no separate No. 9.
Ranks 11-20
11. Travis Kelce: $12 Million
Kelce shares 11th place with Strange. A salary ranking naturally understates his standing among the greatest players ever at the position because age, contract length and signing date all affect AAV. His $12 million figure should not be read as a talent or legacy rank.
11. Brenton Strange: $12 Million
Strange’s extension has a $36 million base value over three years. Reports that include incentives can produce a larger headline number, but the base contract average used for this ranking is $12 million. His deal is a major bet on a versatile player entering his prime.
13. Evan Engram: $11.5 Million
Engram’s contract average reflects a receiver-first profile and the ability to create favorable matchups in space. His place outside the top 10 shows how the newest extensions have pushed the market ahead of several established veterans.
14. Darnell Washington: $10.5 Million
Washington’s extension is one of the clearest signs that teams will pay for blocking at tight end. His value is not dependent on target volume. Size, movement skills and the ability to change a run game’s structure can create a substantial market on their own.
15. Juwan Johnson: $10.25 Million
Johnson sits 15th at an exact average of $10.25 million. His receiving background, length and scoring-area utility give him a different path to eight-figure value than the blocking specialists around this part of the list.
16. Cade Otton: $10 Million
Otton is the final tight end at or above $10 million per year. His contract rewards an all-around workload and steady availability, two traits that matter when an offense wants to keep the same personnel on the field for both runs and passes.
17. Chigoziem Okonkwo: $9 Million
Okonkwo’s move to Washington came with a three-year contract averaging $9 million. His speed and run-after-catch ability give the Commanders a more explosive receiving profile at the position.
18. Mike Gesicki: $8.5 Million
Gesicki remains one of the league’s more specialized receiving tight ends. His salary reflects the value of alignment flexibility and catch-point ability, even when a player’s role differs from that of a traditional in-line starter.
19. Charlie Kolar: $8.1 Million
Kolar’s three-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers averages $8.1 million. Like Washington’s extension, it is evidence that blocking value can command significant money even without the receiving totals normally associated with a top-20 contract.
20. Hunter Henry: $8 Million
Henry also averages $8 million. His reliable hands, red-zone experience and veteran floor give him a very different contract case from Bellinger, but the exact annual values are equal. The tie moves the next available rank to No. 22.
20. Daniel Bellinger: $8 Million
Bellinger shares 20th place after signing a three-year, $24 million contract with Tennessee. His deal is another investment in a younger all-around tight end whose value includes blocking, formation flexibility and room for a larger receiving role.
Ranks 22-31
22. Josh Oliver: $7.75 Million
Oliver ranks 22nd at $7.75 million, not $7.9 million. His contract is driven heavily by blocking and the ability to support an offense that uses multiple tight ends. Displaying the exact figure corrects the rounding error in the original table.
23. Colby Parkinson: $7.5 Million
Parkinson’s size and ability to contribute as both a receiver and blocker earned him a $7.5 million contract average. He occupies the middle of a lower veteran tier that runs from Oliver through the three players tied at $7 million.
24. Dallas Goedert: $7 Million
Goedert’s one-year average is lower than his on-field reputation would suggest. Contract length, age and durability all influence salary rankings, which is why AAV should never be treated as a direct list of the league’s best tight ends.
24. John Bates: $7 Million
Bates shares 24th place at $7 million. His contract highlights the value of an established blocker who can keep an offense from advertising its intentions when it uses heavier personnel.
26. Dawson Knox: $6.67 Million
Knox’s exact average is $6,666,667. That puts him slightly ahead of Loveland even though both contracts round to $6.7 million when shown to one decimal place.
27. Colston Loveland: $6.66 Million
Loveland ranks 27th at $6,659,002 per year. His place on the list comes from the rookie wage scale, so it reflects draft position rather than an open-market negotiation. He is not tied with Knox once the exact values are used.
28. Noah Gray: $6 Million
Gray’s $6 million average rewards versatility and proven usefulness within a creative offense. His contract shows that dependable second tight ends can carry meaningful value when they allow a team to vary formations and assignments.
29. Adam Trautman: $5.67 Million
Trautman averages $5,666,667 over his contract. His place near the end of the top 32 reflects the market for experienced players who can handle blocking responsibilities and contribute without requiring a featured receiving role.
30. Kenyon Sadiq: $5.59 Million
Sadiq’s four-year rookie contract averages $5,586,076. Like Loveland, his salary is set primarily by draft slot. That makes his position on this list different from veterans who reached their figures through free agency or extensions.
31. Tommy Tremble: $5.25 Million
Tremble shares the final rank in the top 32. His contract reflects athleticism, blocking value and the flexibility to handle several assignments without forcing an offense into a predictable personnel package.
31. Luke Farrell: $5.25 Million
Farrell matches Tremble at an exact $5.25 million average. The shared figure creates a legitimate tie, unlike the rounded Knox and Loveland values higher on the list.
Full Highest-Paid Tight Ends in the NFL Table
The table shows exact contract averages so the order and ties remain transparent.
| Rank | Tight End | AAV |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Kittle | $19,100,000 |
| 2 | Trey McBride | $19,000,000 |
| 3 | Kyle Pitts | $17,666,667 |
| 4 | T.J. Hockenson | $16,500,000 |
| 5 | Isaiah Likely | $13,333,333 |
| 6 | Mark Andrews | $13,089,000 |
| 7 | Dalton Schultz | $12,600,000 |
| 8 | Jake Ferguson | $12,500,000 |
| 8 | Cole Kmet | $12,500,000 |
| 10 | Pat Freiermuth | $12,100,000 |
| 11 | Travis Kelce | $12,000,000 |
| 11 | Brenton Strange | $12,000,000 |
| 13 | Evan Engram | $11,500,000 |
| 14 | Darnell Washington | $10,500,000 |
| 15 | Juwan Johnson | $10,250,000 |
| 16 | Cade Otton | $10,000,000 |
| 17 | Chigoziem Okonkwo | $9,000,000 |
| 18 | Mike Gesicki | $8,500,000 |
| 19 | Charlie Kolar | $8,100,000 |
| 20 | Hunter Henry | $8,000,000 |
| 20 | Daniel Bellinger | $8,000,000 |
| 22 | Josh Oliver | $7,750,000 |
| 23 | Colby Parkinson | $7,500,000 |
| 24 | Dallas Goedert | $7,000,000 |
| 24 | John Bates | $7,000,000 |
| 26 | Dawson Knox | $6,666,667 |
| 27 | Colston Loveland | $6,659,002 |
| 28 | Noah Gray | $6,000,000 |
| 29 | Adam Trautman | $5,666,667 |
| 30 | Kenyon Sadiq | $5,586,076 |
| 31 | Tommy Tremble | $5,250,000 |
| 31 | Luke Farrell | $5,250,000 |
What the Tight End Market Says
The top three occupy their own salary tier
Kittle, McBride and Pitts are the only tight ends above $17.6 million in AAV. The drop from Pitts to Hockenson is $1,166,667, and the decline from Hockenson to Likely is another $3,166,667. Teams have clearly separated the biggest receiving threats from the rest of the position.
Blocking is creating a second path to major money
Washington at $10.5 million and Kolar at $8.1 million stand out because their contracts are not built primarily on receiving volume. Their deals show that teams increasingly recognize how a high-level blocker can improve the run game, pass protection and play-action structure.
Salary rank and talent rank answer different questions
Kelce at No. 11 and Goedert at No. 24 make the distinction obvious. AAV depends on when a deal was signed, how long it runs, the player’s age and the leverage available during negotiations. It should be used to describe the contract market, not to settle who is better on the field.
Rookie contracts require separate context
Loveland and Sadiq reached the top 32 through rookie-scale contracts tied to draft position. Their averages do not represent veteran free-agent prices, but they still count when the question is which active tight end contracts carry the highest annual values.
More Tight End Rankings
- Best Tight Ends in the NFL Today
- Best Tight Ends in the NFL Since 2020
- Best Tight Ends of All Time
- Best Tight Ends Every Year in NFL History
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