The 2025 season might be the last time we see Travis Kelce dominate the gridiron. That means he’s likely got just 17 more games to consolidate his stature in the tight end record books. Conveniently enough, he’s within striking distance of one of the most important records of the position.
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Jason Witten, former star of the Dallas Cowboys, holds the record for the second-most receiving yards by any TE in NFL history with a total of 13,046. Kelce’s current career total is 12,151 receiving yards. That gives him a target of 896 receiving yards for this upcoming season.
Witten is just the second tight end in NFL history to surpass the 13,000 receiving yard mark. Tony Gonzalez remains firmly in control of the all-time crown with a career receiving yards total of 15,127. When it comes to just Kansas City, though, the Chiefs player with the most receiving yards in franchise history is Kelce. Meanwhile, Tony Gonzalez ranks second with 10,940 yards.
Even if Kelce fails to break his all-time record, the Kansas City Chiefs’ premier pass catcher can still put himself in elite company by recording at least 850 receiving yards. To be fair to Kelce, however, he hasn’t played nearly as many games as the two legends who are ahead of him on the list.
Gonzalez played 270 games in his career, while Witten played 271. Kelce, on the other hand, has competed in just 175 games in his career so far.
Kelce has played the second-least amount of games of any tight end within the top-10 rankings. This highlights the elite level of production that is only rivaled by the likes of Rob Gronkowski.
The legacy of Travis Kelce
Apart from Kelce, his former Super Bowl rival, George Kittle, is the only other active player at the position who is also inside the top-15 all-time receiving yard rankings. Considering Kittle is far behind him with a career total of 7,380, in addition to the fact that he’s closer to retirement, no one will be challenging Kelce’s spot in the rankings anytime soon.
The 35-year-old veteran has managed to collect 10 Pro Bowl nominations, four All-Pro honors, and three Super Bowl rings during his 12 years in Kansas City. He’s already a member of the NFL Hall of Fame’s All-2010s roster and will surely retire as one of, if not the most, decorated tight ends in NFL history.
Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has seen him come under fire from both fans and analysts alike in recent years. More people tend to focus on the tabloids rather than the stat sheets.
In some ways, it’s a shame that the final seasons of his storybook career have been overshadowed by the voices of critics. But then again, Kelce also spent the better part of the last decade playing the role of the villain toward opposing fan bases and their beloved defensive units.
So perhaps it’s rather fitting to see him go out with one last round of boos. For better or worse, however, football fans won’t soon forget the name Travis Kelce. He has already built a legacy for himself and is adding to it. In the end, that’s all that truly matters.
