Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce passed Rob Gronkowski on the tight end all-time receiving list against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Kansas City Chiefs started their Sunday night matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hot, but one player climbed up the record boards. Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce passed Rob Gronkowski for the fifth-most receiving yards by a tight end in NFL history.
With six catches and one touchdown in the first quarter against Tampa Bay, Kelce was Kansas City’s primary receiving target to start Sunday’s game.
On the all-time yards list, Kelce remains behind all-time great tight ends like Tony Gonzalez and Antonio Gates. But, the AFC West now has four of the five top-receiving tight ends in NFL history. Kelce is head and shoulders above any active tight end in all-time receiving yards, with Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz being the closest to Kelce.
Kelce was also the fastest tight end to eclipse 9,000 career receiving yards, needing less than 130 games to reach that mark. While the all-time greatest tight end debate remains undecided, Kelce continues to improve his resume.
Kelce only trails Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews for the most receiving yards in 2022, as both make their case for the league’s best tight end. At the same time, Sunday night’s matchup against Tampa Bay showed how quarterback Patrick Mahomes trusts Kelce, as the 32-year-old veteran remains a crucial part of Kansas City’s schemes.