Twenty touchdowns. That’s how many tight ends hauled in last Sunday, shattering NFL history for a single day. The league is in the middle of a full-blown Tight End Renaissance, and if you’ve been watching closely, you know part of that credit belongs right here in the Emerald City.
The End Zone Takeover Is Real
Seriously, TEs were just straight up *eating* last Sunday. That Raiders-Saints game alone was wild, with four tight ends combining for six total touchdown catches! You had Saints tight end Juwan Johnson snagging two scores, even as they fell to the Raiders. Noah Fant got two himself in that loss, too. And of course, Raiders tight end Brock Bowers snatched the game-winner with just 6:22 left, after his teammate Michael Mayer already got in earlier. Johnson nailed it when he said it’s “a true dedication to what guys have done in the offseason.” He’s talking about the mental grind of blocking elite edge rushers, corners, safeties, and linebackers, then having to “go out there and run around and catch a ball.” It’s insane what these guys are doing, and it’s making a difference.
Why Seattle Is Leading The Charge
This isn’t just a fluke, folks; the numbers back it up big time. In 2024, tight ends across the NFL scored 178 touchdowns, making up 22% of all passing TDs. Last year? That number exploded to 231 touchdowns, a whopping 30% increase, accounting for 28% of all passing touchdowns. Now, three weeks into the 2026 season, TEs are on pace for an absurd 289 touchdowns. That’s 62% more than two years ago, and a stunning 32% share of all passing TDs! A huge part of this surge? It’s the rise of 12 personnel, with two tight ends and two receivers, which made serious waves last year. Offenses used it in nearly a quarter of their snaps in both 2024 and 2025. And guess what? Juwan Johnson explicitly mentioned that “guys in Seattle who are running a majority of 12 personnel” are operating with tight ends in a way that’s “encouraged a lot of coordinators to do the same.” Our Seahawks are showing the league how it’s done, setting up those mismatches downfield that just carve up defenses!
The Money And The Talent Is Flowing
Teams are clearly seeing the value. This year’s draft saw nine tight ends taken in the first three rounds, a massive jump from just three in 2024. And we’re not just talking about draft capital; these guys are getting PAID. Just this summer, the Raiders gave Michael Mayer, their *second* tight end, a three-year, $45 million extension, making him the sixth-highest-paid tight end in the league! That’s how important these playmakers have become. We’re only three weeks in, and the NFL already has four tight ends with three touchdowns each, showing how much bigger their season-long production could be. George Kittle, still out there putting in work with two touchdown grabs Sunday, continues his miraculous rehab from an Achilles tear. The tight end position isn’t just back, it’s taking over.
So, what does this mean for our Hawks? With teams around the league following Seattle’s lead on 12 personnel, we’re seeing a clear path for success in this evolving NFL. It means defenses are going to have to scheme harder than ever to contain what our coaching staff, led by Mike Macdonald and Brian Fleury, is cooking up with multiple tight ends. Get ready to see even more of these guys making game-changing plays, because this revolution is just getting started, and the Emerald City helped kick it off!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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