Mark Bavaro ranks in the all-time elite tier for tight ends β a career that places Bavaro in the top 3% of all players at the position. The Knox value model assigns Bavaro a career score of 88, reflecting sustained impact that most players at the position never approach.
Mark Bavaro
Height6'4"
Weight245 lb
BornApr 28, 1963
Age63
CollegeNotre DameSee College Stats
Rookie yr1985
Draft1985 Β· Rd 4, Pick 100 Β· NYG
All-Time Rank & Honors
career ranks, postseason ranks, awards, title contextRegular-season all-time ranks
Postseason all-time ranks
2x
Pro Bowls
2x
All-Pro
An all-time caliber tight end (top 5% all-time) who combined elite production with excellent availability over their career. Iron Legends define eras β they show up, every game, for years on end.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 285 Β· #153 Β· All-TimeWorth 285 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 4% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 9 of 9 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +31.7 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
9 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
9
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+31.7
Avg surplus
peak +53
9 seasons Γ ~31.7 surplus β VORP 285
Combined Season Grid
The full season-by-season grids, joined on one timeline. Every selected stat family stays visible at onceβno tab hopping.
1 grid split in one view
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Receiving | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | |||||
| 1985 | β | NYG | 16 | β | β | 37 | 511 | 4 | β | 13.8 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | NYG | 16 | β | β | 66 | 1,001 | 4 | β | 15.2 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | NYG | 12 | β | β | 55 | 867 | 8 | β | 15.8 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | NYG | 16 | β | β | 53 | 672 | 4 | β | 12.7 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | NYG | 7 | β | β | 22 | 278 | 3 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | NYG | 15 | β | β | 33 | 393 | 5 | β | 11.9 | β | β | β |
| 1992 | β | CLE | 16 | β | β | 25 | 315 | 2 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β |
| 1993 | β | PHI | 16 | β | β | 43 | 481 | 6 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β |
| 1994 | β | PHI | 12 | β | β | 17 | 215 | 3 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 126 | β | β | 702 | 9,466 | 78 | β | 13.5 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 22 | NYG | 16 | β | β | 37 | 511 | 4 | β | 13.8 | β | β | β | 15.4 |
| 1986 | 23 | NYG | 16 | β | β | 66 | 1,001 | 4 | β | 15.2 | β | β | β | 23.6 |
| 1987 | 24 | NYG | 12 | β | β | 55 | 867 | 8 | β | 15.8 | β | β | β | 20.6 |
| 1988 | 25 | NYG | 16 | β | β | 53 | 672 | 4 | β | 12.7 | β | β | β | 17.1 |
| 1989 | 26 | NYG | 7 | β | β | 22 | 278 | 3 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β | 10.7 |
| 1990 | 27 | NYG | 15 | β | β | 33 | 393 | 5 | β | 11.9 | β | β | β | 15.5 |
| 1992 | 29 | CLE | 16 | β | β | 25 | 315 | 2 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β | 11.9 |
| 1993 | 30 | PHI | 16 | β | β | 43 | 481 | 6 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β | 20.7 |
| 1994 | 31 | PHI | 12 | β | β | 17 | 215 | 3 | β | 12.6 | β | β | β | 9.3 |
| Career | 126 | β | 702 | 9,466 | 78 | β | 13.5 | β | β | β | 144.8 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 88 Β· All-Time GreatA all-time great career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 88 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 9 scored seasons.
79
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
94
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 85 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 88Β· confidence 99%
What builds the career mark of 79
On-field 60.6
Availability 18.4
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1985bestavg 78elite 701994
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position51
Solid
of 100
Reached 45% of the all-time Receptions leader β a solid all-time profile at the position.
45% of the all-time Receptions leader45
3 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader100
A 0β100 scale where 100 = matched the all-time leaderat this position. Built only from visible encyclopedia data β career production vs. the all-time leader, plus efficiency (EPA) and comparable-player confidence β so it's a transparent context score, not a subjective rating. Tiers: Elite β₯ 85 Β· Strong β₯ 65 Β· Solid β₯ 45 Β· Depth < 45. Comparable-player confidence: 96%.
Career Aging Trajectory
vs. position group average Β· KV-H basisAmber = this player (normalized to own peak). Indigo = average tight ends aging curve. Group peak age: 25. Source: StatVault KV-H era (1999+).
Playoff vs Regular Season
π Consistent
Yards / Reception: 13.5 regular season β 12.2 playoffs (3 playoff seasons)
-10%
vs reg season
Postseason Career
Receiving
Rec60Yds732TD6Y/R12.2
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Notre Dame), but no parsed college box-score table is present in this profile artifact. The section stays here so every profile has a consistent college-stats landing point without fabricating unavailable rows.
Reference Graph
Career teammates and draft class, derived from year-by-year rosters β every name is linked.
Top Teammates
Sean LandetaP6yLawrence TaylorLB6yCarl BanksOLB6yGary ReasonsILB6yLee RousonRB6yLionel ManuelWR6yStacy RobinsonWR5yJeff HostetlerQB4yJoe MorrisRB4yStephen BakerWR4yGeorge AdamsRB4yOdessa TurnerWR4yGreg JacksonDB3yEric AllenCB2yHerschel WalkerFB2yRandall CunninghamQB2yOtis SmithCB2yHoward CrossTE2yWilliam ThomasOLB2yWilliam PerryDT2yDave MeggettRB2yMark McMillianCB2yLewis TillmanRB2yCalvin WilliamsWR2y
1985 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #100
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterMark opened the New York Giants TE lineage the corpus knows, and handed it to Howard Cross (1989β2001).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1994final season
Last recorded season with PHI
- 1993team change
Joined PHI (from CLE)
- 1992team change
Joined CLE (from NYG)
- 1985draft
Drafted by NYG β Round 4, Pick 100
Athletic & Unique Profile
verified measurements and curated source-tagged facts6'4" / 245 lb
Frame
Knox
StatVault's proprietary player intelligence, informed by full career data. How Knox works β
Historical Knox Β· KV-H
Era-normalized career quality β z-scored against 9-season peers. See all β
88
peak 94
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
B+1985
A+1986
A+1987
A1988
B1989
B+1990
B1992
B+1993
B1994
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 9 seasons.
88%
Era Translator
Rec Yds translated to the 2025NFL β each season's standing among its own-era peers, projected onto 2025's scoring environment. Modern-era (1999+) coverage.
| Season | Actual Rec Yds | Rec Yds/G | β 2025 Rec Yds | β 2025 /G |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | 511 | 31.9 | 803+292 | 47.2 |
| 1986 | 1,001 | 62.6 | 1,340+339 | 78.8 |
| 1987 | 867 | 72.3 | 1,595+728 | 93.8 |
| 1988 | 672 | 42 | 1,023+351 | 60.2 |
| 1989 | 278 | 39.7 | 1,000+722 | 58.8 |
| 1990 | 393 | 26.2 | 751+358 | 44.1 |
| 1992 | 315 | 19.7 | 598+283 | 35.2 |
| 1993 | 481 | 30.1 | 816+335 | 48 |
| 1994 | 215 | 17.9 | 555+340 | 32.7 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), espn.com:stats-api (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
285 career value over replacement β #153 all-time of 4,642. 31.7/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #100 (Rd 4) Β· NYG Β· 1985 Β· +49.3 vs expected KV-H
88actual
38.7 expected Β· Ξ+49.3
Fan Rating
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