(WGN) — The Las Vegas Raiders’ Brock Bowers is on a tear unlike any rookie tight end before him. On Sunday, he can break a record held by Super Bowl-winning head coach and greatest tight end in Chicago Bears history — Mike Ditka.
Bowers has 1,067 yards receiving heading into Week 17, meaning he needs just ten yards to break Ditka’s rookie tight end record of 1,076 yards when he and Las Vegas take on the New Orleans Saints this weekend.
If Bowers sets the record, which he likely will, it does come with a caveat.
Ditka set the record in 1961, when NFL seasons were just 14 games. In those 14 contests, Ditka caught 56 passes for 1,076 yards (19.2 yards-per-catch) and 12 TD receptions.
Bowers has 101 catches for 1,067 yards and 4 TD receptions in 15 games so far this year. His 101 catches — already a rookie tight end record — lead all tight ends and is tied for second in the NFL through Week 16.
Bowers broke the rookie tight end record for catches in a Week 14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which was previously set by the Detroit Lions’ Sam LaPorta in 2023. LaPorta finished last season with 86 catches for 889 yards and 10 TD receptions.
The Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua holds the records for most catches and most receiving yards by a rookie in a single season in NFL history. He set both records last year, when he reeled in 105 catches for 1,486 yards and 6 TD receptions.
1961 was Ditka’s best season as a receiver in the NFL. He never topped 1,000 yards receiving or double-digit TD receptions again, but he was selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 1961-65, and five consecutive All-Pro teams from 1962-66 before he was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of the 1967 NFL season.
Ditka set a career high for catches in 1964 with 75, one of two consecutive seasons he was named first team All-Pro.
After he announced his retirement in March of 1973, Ditka went on to become a wide receivers coach with the Dallas Cowboys under Tom Landry. He spent nine seasons in Dallas before George Halas named him the head coach of the Bears in 1982. Three years later, Ditka led their iconic 1985 team to a Super Bowl victory over the New England Patriots.
The Raiders take on the Saints in New Orleans Sunday, with kickoff at the Caesars Superdome set for noon CT. The Bears take on the Seattle Seahawks at 7:15 p.m. CT tonight.