LeBron James would have been the greatest tight end in NFL history

LeBron James playing in the NFL has always been a pipe dream for sports fans.

LeBron James has been the face of basketball and of American sports for the entire decade. He is one of the most decorated athletes of this generation whose reach has expanded so much farther than just basketball.

In fact, his reach has expanded into other American sports as well. There has always been this pipe dream of LeBron James being an NFL player, and that legitimately could have happened.

LeBron confirmed on Uninterrupted that playing in the NFL was actually a thought that he had during the NBA lockout in 2011 and was training to potentially make a transition to the gridiron.

LeBron James even got a contract offer from the Dallas Cowboys.

Whether or not the contract was legitimately serious was not specified, although Maverick Carter did say that contract is in James’ office.

Obviously, LeBron stuck with basketball and continued to make his case as one of the best basketball players of all-time, but just how good would he have been at football? If he suited up in 2011, how would he have faired?

LeBron James would have been the greatest NFL tight end to ever play.

Now, there are two different ways to look at this. If LeBron would have signed in the NFL in 2011, at 27 years old, he would not have become the greatest tight end in NFL history. It probably would have been something similar to Michael Jordan playing baseball. A one-year experiment that kept him occupied during a season that, at the time, had threats of not happening.

Even if he stayed in the league and never returned to basketball he would not have had the time to become the greatest. He still would have been successful, though. Would he have been the best in the league? Probably not, but he definitely would have created some highlights as a tight end.

But what if LeBron focused on football as much as basketball? He was a receiver for his first two years in high school and was putting up fantastic numbers for an underclassman. In his sophomore year, James hauled in 42 receptions for 752 yards and 11 touchdowns. He earned all-state honors (h/t Bleacher Report).

He did that in his sophomore year. Just imagine how good LeBron could have been if his focus was on football and not basketball. He probably would have eclipsed over 1,000 receiving yards in his junior and senior season. He would have been scouted (he was already gaining interest), he would have played for a Power-5 school and he would have been drafted high in the draft.

And he would have become the greatest tight end in NFL history. Without a doubt.

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Athletes like LeBron James are generational. LeBron James is so physically gifted that if he would have committed his entire athletic career to football then he would have been great at football. If he dedicated his life to baseball he would have been a 500 home-run hitter. If he dedicated his life to MMA he would have been the heavyweight champion of the world.

Heck, even Joe Rogan thinks LeBron would have been the greatest if he decided to be an MMA athlete. Rogan went as far as to say that MMA fighters are “lucky” that LeBron decided to be a basketball player.

LeBron is a physical specimen and he is an immensely hard worker. Just like Michael Jordan, who hit over .200 in professional baseball after not facing live pitching in a decade and a half, James just has that gene that gives him a massive natural advantage over anyone else.

If LeBron James jumped ship in 2011 then he would have been a solid NFL player. If he dedicated his athletic life to football instead of basketball, he would have been the GOAT.