Trey McBride sets single-season TE reception record: Cardinals star passes Zach Ertz's mark with 119 catches
McBride also broke the Cardinals' single-season receptions record

Amid another lost season for the Arizona Cardinals, Trey McBride continues to shine bright. And now, he stands alone in the NFL record book, too. McBride caught 10 passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in Sunday's 37-14 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, and in the process, he passed Zach Ertz for most receptions in a season by a tight end. Here's the record-breaker:
Trey McBride sets the single-season record for most catches by a TE (117)
— NFL (@NFL) December 28, 2025
AZvsCIN on FOX/FOX Onehttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/dYwsYnQk0K
Though it may not have been the most glorious of plays, he also finished that drive with a touchdown on his final play of the day.
7 ➡️ 85
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) December 28, 2025
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McBride is now up to 119 catches this season, three more than Ertz's 116 receptions from 2018. Here's the updated top five:
Most receptions by a tight end in a season, NFL history | Season | |
Trey McBride | 119 | 2025 |
Zach Ertz | 116 | 2018 |
114 | 2023 | |
112 | 2023 | |
Trey McBride | 111 | 2024 |
As that chart shows, the prevalence of tight ends in the passing game has only increased of late. In fact, each of the top 11 seasons in terms of most catches by a tight end has happened since 2010. Before that, only two tight ends -- Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Clark -- had ever posted triple-digit catches.
McBride also surpassed DeAndre Hopkins' 2020 mark (115) for most catches in a season in franchise history.
McBride, 26, has been nothing short of tremendous. He has had at least five receptions in all but one game this season, and he has been head and shoulders above his peers league-wide.
| Trey McBride this season | Rank among TE | Next-closest by TE << | |
| Receptions | 119 | 1st | 81 (Jake Ferguson) |
| Receiving yards | 1,174 | 1st | 854 (Kyle Pitts) |
| Receiving touchdowns | 11 | 1st | 10 (Dallas Goedert) |
| >> As of early window, Week 17 | |||
















