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Al Michaels bizarrely compares Noah Gray, Chiefs TE room to Aaron Hernandez and New England Patriots

Grant Grubbs Profile Pictureby: Grant Grubbs11/29/24grant_grubbs_
Al Michaels
Jerome Miron/USA TODAY Sports

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Noah Gray is garnering praise for his talents but perhaps not the kind he wants. After Patrick Mahomes threw an incomplete pass to Gray on Friday, legendary play-by-play sportscaster Al Michaels made an unusual comparison.

“I’m thinking back to using the two tight ends. It reminds me when Bill Belichick had [Rob] Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez,” Michaels said. “He kind of changed everything. Ran the offense through those two guys about a decade ago.”

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Michaels’ broadcasting partner, Kirk Herbstreit, didn’t allow the audience to linger too long on the comparison to Hernandez, immediately re-emphasizing that the comparison was purely about how the Chiefs utilize Gray’s abilities.

“The way Gray is coming on, you’re right,” Herbstreit said. “As good as these receivers are becoming around him. [Xavier] Worthy is coming on. [DeAndre] Hopkins comes over in the trade. JuJu Smith-Schuster, we know what he can do.

“But with the way Noah Gray looks, especially this last couple weeks, another great option for them and you can put Gray in the backfield too.”

While nobody wants to hear their name in a sentence with convicted murderer Aaron Hernandez, Michaels’ words were a compliment. Gray has been a massive contributor for the Chiefs this season, entering the game on Friday with 27 catches for 315 yards and four touchdowns.

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Gray’s 315 receiving yards are the third-most on the team this season. Fellow tight end Travis Kelce leads the team with 569. As Michaels mentioned, Gray and Kelce have been a handful for teams to deal with this season, as two top-of-the-line tight ends.

This is Noah Gray’s fourth season in the NFL, all of which he’s spent with the Chiefs. He’s already tallied more receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns this season than in any of his previous campaigns. Now entering the back half of the season, Gray will look to give Michaels more reasons to keep complimenting him.