This Sunday wasn’t just any other week of NFL football.

Week 8 of the NFL season was also National Tight Ends Day. The made up holiday has become something of a half-joking, half-legitimate tradition for the league. On one hand, it’s good to celebrate the tight ends that often go unheralded compared to their faster brethren in the receiving corps. On the other, National Tight Ends Day feels most useful as an avenue for DraftKings to promote parlays.

In 2025, nothing is sacred.

Nonetheless, we have a holiday to celebrate, and on Sunday several tight ends did their part in making a National Tight Ends Day to remember. At the time of this writing, Tucker Kraft is putting together a performance for the Packers that very well could have made the list, but I’m on deadline so he’ll have to wait until next year to get a full celebration in his honor. Sorry Tucker, them’s the breaks.

Let’s take a look at which tight ends were the tightest and endest on National Tight Ends Day 2025.

Honorable mention: Oronde Gadsden II, Los Angeles Chargers

Stats: Five receptions, 77 yards, one touchdown
Game result: Win, 37–10

In a somewhat ironic turn of events, the best tight end performance we saw in Week 8 of the NFL season didn’t come on National Tight Ends Day. Instead, it was Chargers rookie Oronde Gadsden II, playing on Thursday night, that put up the most impressive stat line and result.

Gadsden, a rookie selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft, has been on fire of late, with 309 receiving yards and two touchdowns for the Chargers in just the past three weeks. It still might not be enough for his dad to start him in fantasy, but it has been more than enough for Los Angeles, and he deserves a spot on this list even if his big day didn’t happen to take place on Sunday.

Also, shout out to Cardinals tight end Trey McBride, who lamented the fact that his team’s bye week happened to fall on National Tight Ends Day this year. Better luck next time, bud.

5. Kyle Pitts Sr., Atlanta Falcons

Stats: Nine receptions, 59 yards
Game result: Loss, 34–10

Kyle Pitts has not reached the heights that many hoped he would reach in his NFL career thus far, but he is still good for a big game every once in a while, and on Sunday, Pitts had himself quite a solid Tight Ends Day.

With Kirk Cousins back under center for the Falcons, and top receiver Drake London sidelined due to injury, Pitts led Atlanta in receiving yards with 59, catching all nine of his targets. It was a solid stat line, and his sure hands were a much-needed asset for the Falcons, but it wasn’t enough to help his team to a win against the Dolphins.

4. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers

Stats: Four receptions, 43 yards, one touchdown
Game result: Loss, 26–15

As a known Tight Ends Day appreciator, it was nice to see George Kittle back to his scoring ways on Sunday. After apologizing to fantasy managers for his performance last week, Kittle made up for it on the stat sheet today, and added a superb one-handed lefty touchdown catch to his highlight reel.

Kittle’s placement on the list is hurt a bit by the fact that the 49ers lost to the Texans, but it simply would not be a National Tight Ends Day without him.

3. Harold Fannin Jr., Cleveland Browns

Stats: Six receptions, 62 yards, one touchdown
Game result: Loss, 13–32

Another rookie making the list here is Harold Fannin Jr. of the Cleveland Browns, who has quickly established himself as an offensive threat in his young career. Fannin pulled off a sneaky play for the Browns early, lining up as a fullback and escaping into the secondary uncovered, making for an easy touchdown to open the scoring against the Patriots.

Unfortunately for Cleveland, it wouldn’t score again until the fourth quarter, when Fannin’s fellow tight end David Njoku found the end zone.

2. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles

Stats: Three receptions, 28 yards, two touchdowns
Game result: Win, 38–20

No tight end had a better National Tight Ends Day on a bang-for-your-buck basis than Dallas Goedert. The Eagles tight end only needed three receptions to score two touchdowns in Philadelphia’s dominant win against the Giants.

With seven touchdowns through eight games, Goedert is tied for the league lead in receiving touchdowns with Amon-Ra St. Brown. Not bad for a tight end.

1. Mason Taylor, New York Jets

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor celebrates after scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Tyler Johnson.
New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor celebrates after scoring a touchdown with wide receiver Tyler Johnson. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Stats: Five receptions, 34 yards, one touchdown
Game result: Win, 39–38

While his stat sheet might not look as impressive as some others on this list, Jets rookie Mason Taylor without a doubt left National Tight Ends Day as the happiest tight end on the planet.

Not only did the second-round draft pick nab the first win of his young career, he played a key role in the victory, securing the game-winning touchdown on a pass from running back Breece Hall on a trick play near the goal line.

Congratulations on the first win and the first National Tight Ends Day of your career Mason Taylor. Here’s to many more to come!

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Which Tight End Had the Best Day on National Tight Ends Day?.