Shannon Sharpe Weighs in on Travis Kelce’s “Greatness” as TE Joins Jerry Rice with 2,000 Postseason Receiving Yards

The Kansas City Chiefs will move on to the AFC Conference Championship after beating the Houston Texans 23-14 this weekend, but the real winner was none other than their star TE, Travis Kelce. Producing 117 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown with seven catches, Kelce cemented himself amongst elite company.

Kelce is now only the second player in NFL history to record 2,000 receiving yards or more in the postseason and is the first to do so at the TE position. The only other player to achieve this feat is a current hall of famer, Jerry Rice, one of the most renowned wide receivers in the history of the sport.

The record-breaking performance set the football world on fire. As fans, former players, and analysts, came together to praise the record-breaking performance, perhaps the most notable bit of praise came from yet another current hall of famer, Shannon Sharpe. One the best to ever play the position, Sharpe made it clear that his own accomplishments are now diminished by those of Kelce.

Sharpe himself suggesting that Kelce will be bound for Canton, Ohio following his retirement, is momentous.

In addition to the post-season receiving yards record, Kelce also joined Rice as the only other player to record 20 or more receiving touchdowns in the playoffs. Furthermore, the performance resulted in Kelce’s ninth career 100-receiving yard game in the postseason, now the most in NFL history.

Kelce’s performance was directly responsible for keeping the Chiefs’ hopes of a three-peat alive as he was responsible for 117 of Patrick Mahomes’ 177 passing yards. The only other receivers to contribute to that total were Xavier Worthy and fellow tight end, Noah Gray. The rest of the Chiefs receiving core combined for zero catches on the day.

Kelce makes his claim for the all-time TE crown

Now sitting at a career total of 12,151 receiving yards, Kelce currently ranks third in all-time TE receiving yards. However, the only two players above him, Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten, have both played in nearly 100 more games than him. Additionally, Kelce ranks third in all-time TE receptions, with 1,004 receptions. Again, only Gonzalez and Witten have more career catches, with 1,325 and 1,228 receptions respectively.

Kelce is averaging more yards per reception than both of them and his 69.4 receiving yards per game is the best in the history of the position. He may rank fifth overall in receiving touchdowns, but he has clearly done more with less when compared to others at the position.

Throw in the fact that he has already laid claim to three Super Bowls, alongside 10 Pro Bowl appearances and four All-Pro nominations, and his resume begins to seem undeniable. It is readily apparent that he is the motor that keeps this Kansas City offense running. Should the Chiefs somehow manage to do the impossible and become the first ever back-to-back-to-back Super Bowl champions, it would be almost impossible to deny the fact that Kelce is indeed the greatest TE in the history of professional football.