When Travis Kelce took the field on that cold November afternoon in 2025, he knew he was about to make history. Even though it took him four quarters, the tight end brought home a 21-yard pass from Mahomes. He had just become the franchise’s touchdown leader. But Kelce wasn’t happy.
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“If you’re going to ask me about the record, I could care less about that right now,” he told his brother. And we could see why. Despite his respect for the franchise, that Sunday afternoon ended in a loss. It left a bad taste in the mouth for a tight end who had built his life in Kansas City. Fortunately for Kelce, ten months later, he has a chance to avoid that same result, with an even bigger record in his sights.
You see, Travis Kelce closed the season with just a little over 13,000 yards. And that puts him in striking distance of an NFL record when he takes on the Denver Broncos on Monday. And if we he does so, he won’t just outshine an NFL legend, but do it in record time.
“Per the NFL: With at least 45 receiving yards against Denver, #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce can surpass Jason Witten (13,046 receiving yards) for the 2nd most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez (15,127),” posted FOX4 Kansas City reporter Rob Collins on X.
It looks like the stars have aligned for Kelce on this one. Witten, the current tight end with the second most yards, managed to reach the number with 272 games played. Kelce has the chance to do it in just 193 games. That’s nearly 80 fewer games played!
And that’s not all. Kelce’s current career average sits at about 67.7 yards per game. Even if that number falls a bit and Kelce sticks around for another season after this year, he could reach record-holder Tony Gonzalez, one of the greatest tight ends in the NFL.
“If we go by receptions, he’s the third all time,” KFH Radio’s Jacob Albracht said, bringing up Kelce’s receptions record. “He’s a little less than 200 behind Witten, and he is a little less than 300 behind Gonzalez. So Witten basically played 17 years, from 2003 to 2020. Gonzalez played 16, from 97 to 2013. Kelce has played 12. You can believe that 12. And it got me thinking, well, wait a minute. What if Kelce’s not done?”
In these 12 seasons, Kelce has tallied 814 receptions, setting an NFL record for catches by a tight end through his first 10 seasons. He also leads all tight ends in career yards after the catch, with 6,158.
The prospect is certainly enticing, and it lines up with how Kelce’s season went last year. He reached 13,000 career receiving yards, becoming the fastest tight end to reach the milestone in NFL history. But it won’t be easy.
At 37, Kelce faces a tough battle against Father Time. He has already shown signs of slowing down in the off-season, looking more sluggish than ever. More importantly, retirement talks have surrounded the star tight end, who many consider a Hall of Fame lock, ever since the 2025 season ended.
Kelce is nearing 40, and rarely do pass-catchers play at a high clip at this age. However, he’s still got enough gas in the tank to power himself through.
Last season was poor for everyone in the Kansas City Chiefs offense, particularly in the passing attack. However, Kelce, at 36, was somewhat of a bright spot, leading pass catchers with 851 yards, 76 receptions, five touchdowns, 108 targets, and 45 first downs.
The preseason offered a glimpse of vintage Kelce, as the tight end caught a pass from rookie QB Garrett Nussmeier on Kansas City’s opening drive against the defending champion Seattle Seahawks. However, a question remains about whether that version of Kelce will show up consistently in the regular season.
But the star tight end is confident about what he brings to the table.
“I still think I can go out and play at a high level, and I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than I did last year,” Kelce said. “I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me is making sure that I’m accountable for the guys in this room every single play that I’m out there.
This season, Travis Kelce should be expected to be the bigger player among pass catchers, considering the wide receiver corps is still very inexperienced and young. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes will want to depend on him, as he has for pretty much his entire career.