Four-time Super Bowl champion and future Hall of Fame tight end Rob Gronkowski has a theory about why Chiefs star TE Travis Kelce came back for a 14th NFL season, and it doubles as a reason Kelce might not be done after this one either.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Appearing on the Up & Adams Show alongside host Kay Adams, Gronkowski broke down what it would mean if Kelce caught him on the all-time touchdown list for tight ends this season.
“Whatever he did to get to this level, to stay in shape, whatever he learned from whatever mistake he learned from the previous season, why he wasn’t on the top of his game like he is now. And then to do it, that that’s huge props right there. And he’s looking phenomenal. But to get to that level of touchdowns this year, that would be pretty insane. He would I think he would have to stick around again next year,” Gronkowski said on the podcast.
Kelce had 82 receiving touchdowns on his record before the 2026 season began, leaving him 10 short of Gronkowski’s 92. Gronkowski said Kelce could make up that difference, but reaching 92 could mean coming back for a 15th season. He also acknowledged that his total is not the tight end record. Antonio Gates holds the mark with 116, followed by Tony Gonzalez with 111.
“If I was number one (in that category), then yes, one hundred percent, he would be going for that one. But I’m not number one in that category, so it’s not like it’s a special record to break or anything.”
Adams pushed back on that modesty, arguing that a Super Bowl ring would ultimately be what separates the two anyway, noting Gronkowski’s four championships compared to Kelce’s three. Gronkowski admitted the comparison was fair but said rings, not records, would always matter more to him in that equation.
Kelce has already made real progress on the chase early this season. Through three games, he’s climbed past former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten for sole possession of second place in career receiving yards (13,233) among tight ends, trailing only Tony Gonzalez (15,127).
He also tied Gronkowski’s NFL record with his 27th career game featuring both 100 receiving yards and a touchdown catch in Kansas City’s Week 2 win over the Indianapolis Colts. During the same game, he broke Marshall Faulk’s record for career receiving yards after the catch, surpassing 6,230 yards and reaching 6,288. His brother, retired Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, praised the YAC milestone on ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown, calling out the list of players Travis had just passed to get there.
Whether Kelce catches Gronkowski’s touchdown mark remains uncertain, as he has not committed to playing beyond this season. Speaking to Good Morning America ahead of Kansas City’s 2026 opener, Kelce made clear that retirement wasn’t on his mind at all, saying he still had “the desire to go out there and compete” and wanted to keep playing “until the wheels fall off.” He also said he was “not ready” to enter the next phase of his life beyond football.
That’s a notably more confident tone than the one Kelce struck just months earlier. After Kansas City’s disappointing 6-11 finish and a Week 18 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in January, Kelce sounded genuinely unsure about his future, telling reporters:
“Either it hits me quick, or I’ve got to take some time. Last year was a little bit easier. I think I knew right away I wanted to kind of give this one a shot. So I dunno. We’ll see.”
At 36, Kelce entered the season with questions still surrounding how much he had left. Podcaster Bill Simmons, for example, questioned whether Kelce could still be an “impact guy.” Early returns suggest otherwise, and if Gronkowski’s math holds up, the record chase itself might end up being the thing that keeps Kelce in a Chiefs uniform a year longer than anyone expected.