According to Shannon Sharpe, Travis Kelce is barbecue, and Rob Gronkowski is sushi. When the legendary tight end was interviewed on The Schmo’s YouTube channel in October 2025 and asked to choose between the retired New England Patriots great and the Kansas City Chiefs star, he chose Kelce. Explaining his reasoning, Sharpe stated, “Travis Kelce is the greatest tight end that’s ever played. When you’re talking about greats, you start nitpicking. I mean, you look at the Pro Bowls, you look at the All-Pros, you look at the 1000-catch seasons, you look at the numbers; they’re very, very close.” The Club Shay Shay host hit the bullseye with that assessment. Here is a quick comparison of the two elites.
Travis Kelce and Rob Gronkowski Super Bowl wins, career stats, earnings, achievements, net worth, endorsements, real estate, and investments comparison
Barbecue and sushi comparison
Now that the career comparison is over, it was the barbecue and sushi comparison by Shannon Sharpe that stood out! Why is Travis Kelce barbecue? And why is Rob Gronkowski sushi?“It’s a matter, do you like sushi or do you like barbecue? Me? I like barbecue. Some people might like sushi, so you’re going to say sushi. I’ll take sushi over barbecue. It is razor thin, but for me, those are the two greatest tight ends that have ever played,” Sharpe said. Barbecue is a method of cooking raw meat with a marinade over an open flame or on a charcoal grill. Sushi is a cold-served Japanese dish of vinegared rice with raw or cooked seafood.Is Kelce considered a barbecue because he is always hot-headed on the gridiron, while Gronkowski was cool-headed? That could be debated, but not necessarily. It actually depends on their playstyles. Kelce’s playing style is methodical, smooth, and slow cooked to perfection, much like a barbecue. Gronkowski’s, on the other hand, is raw, explosive, and fast, much like sushi. But when the Patriots legend appeared on The Dan Patrick Show in November 2025, he called himself “steak” and Travis Kelce “sushi.”
Rob Gronkowski calls himself steak and Travis Kelce sushi
When Dan Patrick asked Gronkowski if he thought of himself as being better than Kelce, Gronkowski said, “In many ways, Travis Kelce is better than myself. And in many ways, I would say I’m better than Travis Kelce. There’s so many variables and tangibles that go into it because we’re kind of different players, but we play the same position still. I mean, Shannon Sharpe said it best. I mean, I’m not sure exactly how he put it, but he said like, ‘I’m a steak and like he’s sushi.’ I mean, it’s just what you want that night for dinner. And they’re both great, but they’re both totally different. And they both taste different, and they’re both different on your palate.”
Rob Gronkowski compliments Travis Kelce and Tony Gonzalez
Rob Gronkowski stated that he would fit perfectly in a traditional, run-heavy offense that emphasizes blocking and physicality, while noting Travis Kelce is built for the Kansas City Chiefs’ modern, pass-heavy system. He suggested the two would have formed an ultimate combo if they had played together. Gronkowski admitted that his aggressive, fearless style took a physical toll, leading to his early retirement. But he praised elite tight ends like Kelce and Tony Gonzalez for sustaining elite play into their mid-to-late 30s.