Travis Kelce has already hinted at the possibility of the upcoming 2025 regular season being the last one of his future first-ballot Hall of Fame career. That means he’s likely got just 17 more games to solidify himself in the tight end record books. Conveniently enough, however, he’s already within striking distance of one of the most important records in the history of the position.
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The former star of the Dallas Cowboys, Jason Witten, holds the record for the second most receiving yards by any TE in NFL history with a grand total of 13,046 receiving yards. With a current career total of 12,151 receiving yards, that gives Kelce an official 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, so even if Kelce fails to break his record, the Kansas City Chiefs’ premier pass catcher can still put himself in elite company by recording at least 850 receiving yards.
Nevertheless, Tony Gonzalez remains firmly in control of the all-time crown with a career receiving yards total of 15,127. In fairness to Kelce, however, he hasn’t played anywhere near as many games as his two predecessors.
Gonzalez played in exactly 270 games throughout his career, while Witten played in 271. Kelce, on the other hand, has competed in just 175 games throughout his career so far.
In fact, Kelce has played in the second-least amount of games of any tight end within the top-10 rankings, highlighting an elite level of production that is only rivaled by the likes of Rob Gronkowski himself.
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 receiving yards, in addition to the fact that he’s closer to retirement than not as well, it’s safe to say that 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 throughout 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 the pop-star icon, Taylor Swift, has seen him come under fire from both fans and analysts alike in recent years, as 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 towards 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’s left a legacy for himself, and in the end, that’s all that truly matters.
