Mike Mularkey is a career quality starter β a tight end whose body of work places Mularkey in the top quarter of all players at the position historically. The Knox model values sustained contribution over flash, and Mularkey's career arc reflects exactly that kind of reliable professional-grade performance.
Mike Mularkey
Top 22% all-time TEsReliable Starter
Height6'4"
Weight245 lb
BornNov 19, 1961
Age64
CollegeFloridaSee College Stats
Rookie yr1983
Draft1983 Β· Rd 9, Pick 229 Β· SFO
A tight end with a top 30% among starters β the kind of consistent contributor every roster needs. Solid availability (excellent availability over their career) added to their value.
Career Value Β· VORP
VORP 89 Β· #1301 Β· High-ValueWorth 89 points of value above a freely-available replacement tight end β top 29% of all 4,642 ranked at the position. 7 of 8 seasons cleared the replacement bar, by +12.7 on average.See board β
Seasons above replacement
7 cleared
Beat replacement (adds to VORP) Below it β adds 0, never a debit
46
Replacement
the KC-H bar
β
7
Seasons over
cleared the bar
Γ
+12.7
Avg surplus
peak +25
7 seasons Γ ~12.7 surplus β VORP 89
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 | |||||
| 1983 | β | MIN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β |
| 1984 | β | MIN | 16 | β | β | 14 | 134 | 2 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β |
| 1985 | β | MIN | 15 | β | β | 13 | 196 | 1 | β | 15.1 | β | β | β |
| 1986 | β | MIN | 16 | β | β | 11 | 89 | 2 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β |
| 1987 | β | MIN | 9 | β | β | 1 | 6 | 0 | β | 6.0 | β | β | β |
| 1988 | β | MIN | 16 | β | β | 3 | 39 | 0 | β | 13.0 | β | β | β |
| 1989 | β | PIT | 14 | β | β | 22 | 326 | 1 | β | 14.8 | β | β | β |
| 1990 | β | PIT | 16 | β | β | 32 | 365 | 3 | β | 11.4 | β | β | β |
| 1991 | β | PIT | 9 | β | β | 6 | 67 | 0 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β |
| Career | β | 111 | β | 0 | 102 | 1,222 | 9 | β | 12.0 | β | β | β | |
Receiving
| Season | Age | Team | G | GS | Tgt | Rec | Yds | TD | Ctch% | Y/R | Y/Tgt | AirYd/T | 1D | VAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | 22 | MIN | β | β | β | 0 | 0 | 0 | β | 0.0 | β | β | β | β |
| 1984 | 23 | MIN | 16 | β | β | 14 | 134 | 2 | β | 9.6 | β | β | β | 9.4 |
| 1985 | 24 | MIN | 15 | β | β | 13 | 196 | 1 | β | 15.1 | β | β | β | 8.4 |
| 1986 | 25 | MIN | 16 | β | β | 11 | 89 | 2 | β | 8.1 | β | β | β | 8.4 |
| 1987 | 26 | MIN | 9 | β | β | 1 | 6 | 0 | β | 6.0 | β | β | β | 1.9 |
| 1988 | 27 | MIN | 16 | β | β | 3 | 39 | 0 | β | 13.0 | β | β | β | 6 |
| 1989 | 28 | PIT | 14 | β | β | 22 | 326 | 1 | β | 14.8 | β | β | β | 10.5 |
| 1990 | 29 | PIT | 16 | β | β | 32 | 365 | 3 | β | 11.4 | β | β | β | 13.5 |
| 1991 | 30 | PIT | 9 | β | β | 6 | 67 | 0 | β | 11.2 | β | β | β | 3.3 |
| Career | 111 | 0 | 102 | 1,222 | 9 | β | 12.0 | β | β | β | 61.4 |
KV-H Anatomy
KV-H 61 Β· Strong StarterA strong starter career by KV-H: a peak-driven profile that scores 61 of 100, era-normalized against rec yds/g peers across 8 scored seasons.
58
Sustained
career value
Γ.6
66
Peak
best 3 seasons
Γ.4
Γ1
Longevity
career length
Blend 61.2 Γ longevity 1 = KV-H 61Β· confidence 100%
What builds the career mark of 58
On-field 39.8
Availability 18.2
On-field production Staying available
Season-by-season quality (era-relative rec yds/g)
1984bestavg 57elite 701991
All-Time Standing
how this career measures against the all-time greats at the position6
Depth
of 100
Reached 7% of the all-time Receptions leader β a rotational/depth all-time profile at the position.
7% of the all-time Receptions leader7
0 categories β₯25% of the all-time leader0
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: 90%.
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+).
College stats are not imported for this profile yet.
StatVault has the verified college attribution (Florida), 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
Steve JordanTE5yDarrin NelsonRB5yWade WilsonQB5yAlfred AndersonRB5yAllen RiceRB5yChris DolemanDE4yAnthony CarterWR4yGary AndersonK3yRod WoodsonFS3yHardy NickersonMLB3yCarnell LakeDB3yDwight StoneWR3yJesse SolomonLB3yMerril HogeFB3yLouis LippsWR3yHassan JonesWR3yBubby BristerQB3yWarren WilliamsRB3yTim WorleyRB3yHenry ThomasNT2yDan StryzinskiP2yRich GannonQB2yChris CallowayWR2yDonald EvansDE2y
1983 Draft ClassΒ· this player went #229
Franchise Succession
the room, before and afterMike inherited the Minnesota Vikings TE room from Steve Jordan (1982β1994), and handed it to Andrew Jordan (1994β2001).
Similar Players
Statistical + physical similarity across every player in the database, position-relevant (0β100%).
Movementderived from season history
- 1991final season
Last recorded season with PIT
- 1989team change
Joined PIT (from MIN)
- 1983draft
Drafted by SFO β Round 9, Pick 229
- 1983team change
Joined MIN (from SFO)
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 8-season peers. See all β
61
peak 66
Season Report CardsΒ· KV-H era-normalized per season
C+1984
C+1985
C+1986
C1987
C+1988
B1989
B+1990
C1991
Availability
Career durability β games played vs. scheduled, across 8 seasons.
87%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | 134 | 8.4 | 354+220 | 20.8 |
| 1985 | 196 | 13.1 | 431+235 | 25.4 |
| 1986 | 89 | 5.6 | 273+184 | 16.1 |
| 1987 | 6 | 0.7 | 196+190 | 11.5 |
| 1988 | 39 | 2.4 | 234+195 | 13.8 |
| 1989 | 326 | 23.3 | 662+336 | 39 |
| 1990 | 365 | 22.8 | 679+314 | 39.9 |
| 1991 | 67 | 7.4 | 349+282 | 20.5 |
Data: nflverse:draft_picks, nflverse:players, wikipedia:season-stats (CC-BY-SA, facts-only), nfl.com:official-stats (games-played, facts-only reference) Β· multi-source verified via the StatVault Oracle Β· updated 6/18/2026
Career Value Β· VORP
89 career value over replacement β #1301 all-time of 4,642. 11.1/season above a replacement-level TE.
Draft OutcomeSteal β
Pick #229 (Rd 9) Β· SFO Β· 1983 Β· +38.2 vs expected KV-H
61actual
22.8 expected Β· Ξ+38.2
Fan Rating
Rate Mike Mularkey β All-Time
Tap a star to rate
Explore More
Similar Players