Where does Chiefs’ Travis Kelce stand in tight end GOAT conversation?
LAS VEGAS — For all the attention given to Travis Kelce, whose celebrity status has exploded the last several months amid his relationship with global pop star Taylor Swift, the Chiefs‘ star tight end doesn’t like to toot his own horn when it comes to football.
He’s notorious for deflecting chatter about his greatness and his accolades and the perception of both. Chiefs coaches and players have learned that over the years.
“You go up to him and congratulate him on something here or there, he doesn’t care,” Chiefs tight end Blake Bell told FOX Sports. “He’s not a ‘me’ guy. If you start saying stuff about him, he doesn’t like that.”
But the NFL world does.
As sports observers, we have an innate desire to discuss and rank the greats even when, in many cases, it’s impossible. After all, such rankings are rooted in the subjectiveness that’s inevitable with comparing different eras and situations. Still, these conversations have long been part of fun sports discourse.
That brings us back to Kelce, who’s playing in his fourth Super Bowl in five years Sunday:
Where does he stand among the greatest tight ends of all time?
As far as receiving tight ends go, from a pure statistical standpoint, the only thing separating the future first-ballot Hall of Famer from GOAT status may be time. Kelce is fourth in NFL history among tight ends with 11,328 receiving yards in the regular season — Tony Gonzalez (15,127 receiving yards), Jason Witten (13,046) and Antonio Gates (11,841) are the three ahead of him. Kelce, however, surpassed the 11,000 receiving yards milestone in just 154 games, the fastest ever for a tight end, 37 games faster than Gonzalez, the second fastest.
Since 1992, Kelce’s 5,359 yards after the catch are the most for a tight end, speaking to his legendary playmaking ability at the position. That ranks seventh among all players in that span, above wide receivers like Anquan Boldin and Wes Welker.
Kelce also owns three of the top five single-season receiving marks for a tight end in league annals, including the top mark: 105 receptions for 1,416 receiving yards (2020). He has eight straight 80-catch seasons, too, an NFL record for tight ends.
Of all tight ends in league history through 160 regular-season games, Kelce, who has played 159, would rank No. 1 in receptions (907) and receiving yards (11,328). He’s third in receiving touchdowns (74) though, trailing Rob Gronkowski (92) and Gates (86).
What stands out the most about Kelce to his teammates?
“Whatever he does, he has a routine all the time,” Bell said. “If the defense is up [at practice], he’s kind of mentally going through routes in his head, doing things like that. The knowledge of the game in the meeting room. How much we learn from him. His ability to find zones. The ability to get open versus man coverage. It’s almost hard to say one exact thing because he’s so good at everything he does. That’s why he’s great.”
Even with Kelce’s historic pace to start his career, Gonzalez’s tight end receiving yards record could be out of reach. Kelce trails Gonzalez by 3,799 yards. If Kelce averaged 800 receiving yards a season, it would take him until 2028 to break the record, a feat all the more challenging when you consider that that would bring Kelce into his age-39 season.
Gonzalez had a 17-year career, beginning at age 21. Kelce started his NFL career at 24 and missed all but one game his rookie season. So time is not on Kelce’s side. He’ll turn 35 next season.
What also must enter the GOAT tight end debate is blocking, a staple for the position. That’s not something Kelce has particularly been known for, like his good friend and Super Bowl opponent George Kittle, a star tight end in his own right. That’s worth considering, too.
There’s no denying Kelce’s greatness though, which he has reminded the NFL world of in the Chiefs’ run to the Super Bowl after a quiet start in 2023. This postseason, he’s caught 85.2% of his targets (23 of 27) for 262 yards and three touchdowns, including an 11-catch, 116-yard effort against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game.
His ability to elevate on the biggest stage is another reason why he’s an all-time great.
Across 21 playoff games, Kelce has averaged more than seven receptions and 86 receiving yards per contest.
“I’d tell you Travis’ numbers probably stand up for themselves,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said Tuesday. “I’ll tell you that he has an opportunity to go down as one of the best, if not the best tight end to ever play. Does he spend a ton of time worried about that? I don’t think he does.
“Every game he goes, ‘Let’s just go win.’ That’s kind of his thinking. He’s competitive and during crunch time, he’s going to be there for you and want the ball to help out the team.”
That’s what Kelce cares about.
Ben Arthur is the AFC South reporter for FOX Sports. He previously worked for The Tennessean/USA TODAY Network, where he was the Titans beat writer for a year and a half. He covered the Seattle Seahawks for SeattlePI.com for three seasons (2018-20) prior to moving to Tennessee. You can follow Ben on Twitter at @benyarthur.
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