The 2025 season brought Rams tight end Colby Parkinson to new heights. Not only did he set career-highs in receptions, yards and touchdowns, but he also reaped the benefits of the Rams' offensive evolution, which featured a high rate of 13 personnel (three tight ends).
His eight receiving touchdowns eclipsed the previous career total (five) that Parkinson accumulated throughout his first five NFL seasons. He also appeared in a Super Bowl commercial, capping his career-altering season on the field with a new venture off of it.
Stats
All stats courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
*career-high
| Season | Receptions | Yards | TDs | Catch Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 30 | 294 | 1 | 61.2% |
| 2025 | 43* | 408* | 8* | 76.8%* |
Improvement: Red zone production and efficiency
Parkinson ranked first in red zone catches (15) and yards (118) on the team and trailed only wide receiver Davante Adams in touchdowns (six) and targets (22) inside the 20. Adams drew the most attention close to the end zone, but Parkinson was quietly relied upon to eat up yards and make clutch plays in that area.
The Rams' 13 personnel increase, which began in Week 7 following an injury to wide receiver Puka Nacua, got Parkinson on the field more. He ran the fourth-most routes on the team (235) and was targeted the third-most times (56), a new career-high according to Next Gen Stats. He was incredibly efficient with those opportunities, as his 76.8% catch rate was the highest of his career (not counting his rookie season where he only had two targets and caught both).
This wasn't the type of season Parkinson was expecting to have, something he acknowledged throughout the year, especially after the Rams selected tight end Terrance Ferguson in the second round of the 2025 draft. But the room's unity and excitement for each other's successes increased their overall production, allowing them to capitalize on the higher usage of tight ends in the Rams' offense.
"I think getting different personnel groups out there definitely helps," Parkinson said. "I mean, Sean (McVay) and the offensive staff do such a great job just scheming up different looks. There'll be plays that they'll install during meetings and say, 'Hey, we're looking at it for this look,' and they'll line up and be like, 'Oh, this is exactly what we designed it for.'"
Parkinson's sixth NFL season was by far his best yet, and he's still just 27 years old. A full season of the Rams' 13 personnel packages could bring him even more success in 2026.
