The Arizona Cardinals already watched Trey McBride rewrite the record book once. One bold prediction has him doing something even more rare in 2026.
McBride set an NFL single-season record for a tight end with 126 receptions last year, finishing only three catches behind Los Angeles Rams star Puka Nacua for the league lead.
That apparently wasn’t enough.
CBS Sports’ Douglas Clawson predicted McBride will take the next step this season and become the first tight end in more than two decades to lead the entire NFL in receptions.
Trey McBride Predicted to Lead NFL in Receptions
Clawson’s prediction starts with what McBride already accomplished last season.
“Trey McBride set the single-season TE record with 126 catches last season as the Cardinals led the NFL in pass attempts and had ample garbage time to pad stats. He finished second in the NFL in receptions behind Puka Nacua (129). So what will he do for an encore? He will be the first TE to lead the NFL in receptions since Tony Gonzalez in 2004,” Clawson wrote.
McBride started all 17 games in 2025 and finished with 126 catches for 1,239 yards and 11 touchdowns. His reception total broke Zach Ertz’s previous tight end record of 116 while also setting a Cardinals single-season record.
McBride also became the first tight end in NFL history to record at least 100 receptions in consecutive seasons after catching 111 passes in 2024.
Only Nacua kept him from leading the entire league.
Nacua is first with 129 catches in 16 games, McBride second with 126 and Cincinnati Bengals receiver Ja’Marr Chase third with 125.
Arizona’s offensive circumstances helped create that volume. The Cardinals attempted an NFL-high 649 passes last season, and McBride drew 169 targets.
The question is whether that kind of workload survives a coaching change.
Trey McBride Could End 22-Year NFL Drought
New Cardinals coach Mike LaFleur has already made it clear McBride will remain a central piece of the offense.
Cardinals.com’s Zach Gershman reported in June that LaFleur said the “sky is the limit” for McBride in Arizona’s new system and compared some of his versatility to San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
That gives McBride a chance to chase a mark no tight end has touched since Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez.
Gonzalez led the NFL with 102 receptions for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2004. No tight end has finished atop the league in catches since.
McBride would be attempting the feat while adjusting to a new quarterback situation as well. Arizona enters 2026 with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew and rookie Carson Beck in the room after moving on from Kyler Murray.
CBS Sports has still projected another massive season from McBride, noting separately this offseason that Brissett has a history of leaning on tight ends and that LaFleur has repeatedly emphasized McBride’s importance.
McBride is also entering the first season of the four-year, $76 million extension he signed with Arizona in 2025. The deal included $43 million guaranteed and runs through 2029.
His 2025 production already justified much of that investment.
Leading every wide receiver, running back and tight end in receptions a year later would put him in even rarer company.
McBride came three catches short last season.
Cardinals’ 126-Catch Star Predicted To Make 22-Year NFL History