The NFL has made its Pro Bowl announcement, and Travis Kelce is crushing the competition. While the Kansas City Chiefs stumble through their worst season in years, the 36-year-old tight end has racked up 420,383 votes. And that’s with a commanding lead that screams legacy over record.

The Chiefs are 6-9 heading into Week 17. Their franchise quarterback Patrick Mahomes is out for the season with a torn ACL. Their playoff dreams have already ended in Week 15, but Kelce sits stop the Pro Bowl voting by a margin that’s almost absurd.

He’s leading by over 157,000 votes. Not a close race, but a landslide. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen sits at No. 2 with 263,127 votes, while New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye lands at No. 3 with 259,978 votes. Neither comes close, and Caleb Williams (QB) and Kevin Byard (safety) from the Chicago Bears round out the top 5.

This marks the second time Travis Kelce has topped the ballot for the Pro Bowl games. The voting wrapped up on December 15, with final rosters determined by fans, players, and coaches, each accounting for one-third of the votes. And Kelce’s popularity clearly transcends his team this season.

No surprise, Kelce’s season has been about more than popularity contests. Just this past Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, he joined legendary receiver Jerry Rice in the NFL record books. The milestone? 12 consecutive seasons with 800+ receiving yards. Only Rice had done it before, stringing together his streak from 1985 to 1996 before injuries broke the run. Kelce matched it at 36 years old, catching a pass from third-string quarterback Chris Oladokun in Week 16.

That’s elite company; the kind of consistency that screams Hall of Fame. Rice is considered one of the greatest receivers ever. Now Kelce stands alongside him at tight end. What’s more, back in Week 11 against the Denver Broncos, Kelce also set the franchise record for most total touchdowns with his 84th career score.

Now, if this is indeed the last season of his glorious career, the 11th Pro Bowl nod would cap it off perfectly, even if the Chiefs’ season went sideways. The retirement talk about Kelce keeps gaining momentum as we near the end of the regular season. But is this really going to be his last run?

Travis Kelce deflects, Gronk predicts the inevitable

Before Week 16, reporters asked Kelce straight up if 2026 is in the cards for No. 87. But he didn’t bite, choosing instead to focus on the weeks ahead in their first season without a playoff run since 2014.

“I think I’d rather just keep the focus on this team, right now,” Kelce had said. “All the conversations that I have with the team moving forward will be with them. It’s a unique time in my life. I’ve got three games left. Unfortunately, I’ve got three games left and I know when the season ends this year. – Just trying to make sure everybody here knows that I’m focused on trying to win football games, these last three games.”

Three games left. He said it twice. You could feel the weight behind those words. Kelce previously announced he’d decide his future after the season, wanting to give Kansas City time to prepare for whatever comes next. Now, there’s just two games left after which that future decision looms large.

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But Rob Gronkowski isn’t buying the suspense. The former New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end who retired at 33, thinks that Kelce’s career might just be coming to a close.

“My gut tells me about Travis Kelce is that he will not be back next year,” Gronk declared on the Up & Adams show. “He’s getting first downs. He’s moving the chains. But we’re just so used to Travis Kelce playing at such a high level that he has been doing his whole entire career that now Father Time has gotten to him a little bit.”

To be fair, Gronk knows the feeling. He walked away at 33, and he understands the physical toll Kelce’s age must be taking on his body. With Mahomes’ injury, Kelce gets the responsibility of grounding the locker room. Add his off-field life to this pressure (engagement to Taylor Swift, co-hosting New Heights, multiple business ventures) the pieces just fit.

Those 420,383 Pro Bowl votes tell a different story, though. The fans aren’t ready to let go. Whether Kelce returns or rides off into the sunset, he’s going out loved.