Travis Kelce climbs the NFL record books as the tight end is set to hit 10,000 receiving yards for his career. Kelce is just 82 yards from becoming the fifth tight end in the 10,000 yard board, already in the top five in receiving yards for his position.
Kelce is at the peak of his career, leading all tight ends in receptions (73), receiving yards (912) and touchdowns (12) in 11 games. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is expected to reach 1,000 yards for the seventh straight season, extending his own tight end record. Kelce is also looking for his third season of 100 catches and already has his third season of 10 touchdowns, climbing all-time records in those categories.
Kelce will be the fastest tight end to reach 10,000 yards and 800 receptions, further cementing his case as the greatest tight end of all time. Is Kelce already the greatest of all time? Does he have more to prove? At this point in Kelce’s Hall of Fame career, he’s only adding to his resume and ending the debate over the greatest tight end in NFL history.
Let’s take a look at where Kelce stands among his peers and all the records he’s ever set for a tight end.
Most Receiving Yards by TE – NFL History
- Tony González – 15,127
- Jason Witten – 13,046
- Antonio Gates – 11,841
- Shannon Sharpe – 10,060
- Travis Kelce – 9,918
Most Receptions by TE – NFL History
- Tony González – 1,325
- Jason Witten – 1,228
- Antonio Gates–955
- Shannon Sharpe — 815
- Travis Kelce – 777
Most Received TD by TE – NFL History
- Antonio Gates — 116
- Tony Gonzalez — 111
- Rob Gronkowski — 92
- Jimmy Graham — 85
- Jason Witten — 74
- Travis Kelce – 69 years old
Kelce will play his 139th game on Sunday, but the Chiefs tight end is off to the best start for a tight end ever. Although not yet in the top five in receiving touchdowns, Kelce needs just six more touchdowns this year to pass Witten for fifth place – which would put him along with Gonzalez and Gates as the only players among the top five in all three categories. He also caught an assist in 137 consecutive games, the third longest streak for a tight end in NFL history (Gonzalez had a streak of 211 and Ozzie Newsome had 150).
The clock is on to see if Kelce can reach Gonzalez’s all-time mark for receiving yards through a tight end. Kelce is averaging 71.9 receiving yards per game, so he would need to play 72 more games at that rate to catch Gonzalez. Kelce is expected to play at this level for four full seasons and four games, which means he would break the mark at 37.
Kelce is averaging 5.6 receptions per game, so he would need to play 98 games to catch Gonzalez. Basically, he would need to play five full seasons and 13 games, so Kelce would break the record at 39 (assuming he plays that long).
Kelce also averages the most receiving yards per game by a tight end (71.9). George Kittle is second (65.0) while Rob Gronkowski is third (64.9). In his first 138 games, Kelce has the most receptions (777) and receiving yards (9,918) for a tight end, while ranking fourth in receiving touchdowns (69).
Needless to say, Kelce erases receptions and scores receiving yards with games played for his position.
Most receptions by TE – 138 first career games
- Travis Kelce – 777
- Jason Witten — 673
- Zach Ertz — 657
- Tony Gonzalez – 628
- Antonio Gates — 614
Most receiving yards by TE – 138 first career games
- Travis Kelce – 9,918
- Rob Gronkowski – 8,920
- Antonio Gates — 8,021
- Jason Witten – 7,680
- Tony Gonzalez – 7,523
Most TD receptions by TE – 138 career first games
- Rob Gronkowski — 92
- Antonio Gates — 78
- Jimmy Graham – 72
- Travis Kelce – 69 years old
- Tony Gonzalez – 55
- Vernon Davis – 55 years old
Kelce will be the fastest tight end to reach 10,000 receiving yards and 80 receptions in NFL history. He needs 23 catches over the next 20 games to become the fastest tight end to reach 800 catches in NFL history. Kelce needs 82 yards over the next 38 games to become the fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 10,000 receiving yards.
Kelce also averages the most receiving yards per game by a tight end (71.9). George Kittle is second (65.0) while Rob Gronkowski is third (64.9). In his first 138 games, Kelce has the most receptions (777) and receiving yards (9,918) for a tight end, while ranking fourth in receiving touchdowns (69).
There are quite a few records Kelce has in his career for tight ends worth mentioning, especially when it comes to determining the greatest tight end of all time.
- 1,000+ consecutive yard seasons — 6 (2016-2021)
- 1,000 yard seasons — 6 (2016-21)
- Receiving yards in a season – 1,416 (2020)
- Most playoff receptions by a tight end – 106
- 100+ receiving seasons — 2 (2018, 2020)
- Fewest games to reach 6,000 receiving yards – 91
- Fewest games to reach 8,000 receiving yards – 113
- Fewest games to reach 9,000 receiving yards – 127
- 100-yard games — 33
Among the regular season stats, here’s a good look at how Kelce rewrote the regular season marks for a tight end.
Most 1,000 yard seasons – tight end
- Travis Kelce–6 (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021)
- Rob Gronkowski–4 (2011, 2014, 2015, 2017)
- Jason Witten – 4 (2007, 2009, 2010, 2012)
- Tony Gonzalez – 4 (2000, 2004, 2007, 2008)
Most 100 catch seasons – tight end
- Travis Kelce — 2 (2018, 2020)
- Mark Andrews — 1 (2021)
- Zach Ertz — 1 (2018)
- Jason Witten–1 (2012)
- Dallas Clark–1 (2009)
- Tony Gonzalez–1 (2004)
Most 10 touchdown seasons – tight end
- Rob Gronkowski–5 (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015)
- Jimmy Graham – 4 (2011, 2013, 2014, 2017)
- Travis Kelce — 3 (2018, 2020, 2022)
- Tony Gonzalez – 3 (1999, 2003, 2008)
Kelce’s postseason stats are lost in the shuffle, which are also among the greatest of all time at his position. What’s even more impressive is how Kelce has played in fewer postseason games than Gronkowski, while closing in on some of his records.
Most Playoff Receptions by TE – NFL History
- Travis Kelce — 106
- Rob Gronkowski — 98
- Dallas Clark — 64
- Jay Novacek — 62 years old
- Shannon Sharpe — 62 years old
Most Playoff Receiving Yards by TE – NFL History
- Rob Gronkowski — 1,389
- Travis Kelce — 1,291
- Dallas Clark – 847
- Keith Jackson — 834
- Shannon Sharpe — 814
Most Playoffs Receiving TD by TE – NFL History
- Rob Gronkowski–15
- Travis Kelce — 12
- David Casper — 7
- Vernon Davis — 7
- Keith Jackson — 6
- Jay Novacek — 6
Kelce is averaging 86.1 points per game in the playoffs, by far the best in NFL history (minimum three games). Dan Ross is second at 83.3 while Dallas Clark is third at 70.6. He also averaged 7.1 receptions per playoff game (15 games), the best in NFL history. His 0.8 touchdowns per game are also the best for a tight end in NFL history (minimum three games).
The argument can be made that Kelce is not just the greatest regular season tight end, but the greatest postseason tight end of all time. Keep in mind that Kelce is still at the peak of his career and is only 33 years old.
There isn’t much to explain when you look at all the stats and records for Kelce. At this rate, Kelce is only adding to the impressive numbers he already has. Those numbers indicate that Kelce is already at least among the top three in NFL history.