After taking just one regular-season snap as a rookie in 2013, which was actually a snap on special teams during which he aggravated a knee injury that he'd suffered during the preseason and ultimately landed him on injured reserve for the rest of the year, Travis Kelce recovered to become one of the top tight ends in the league during his second season and hasn't looked back since.
Over the course of 11 seasons with the Chiefs, the Cincinnati alum has earned 11 trips to the Pro Bowl and seven total All-Pro selections (four First Team, three Second Team) while helping Kansas City to three Super Bowl victories in five appearances.
Naturally, with such accolades, Kelce has posted some monster numbers over the years, catching 1,080 passes for 13,002 yards and 82 touchdowns, all of which are good for franchise records and all of which used to belong to fellow tight end Tony Gonzalez. And these numbers don't even include the NFL-record 178 catches he's made in the postseason for 2,078 yards and 20 touchdowns. Those last two numbers, by the way, are good for the most among tight ends and the second-most among all pass-catchers, trailing only the 2,245 yards and 22 TDs posted by the great Jerry Rice.
But for the purposes of this piece, we're going to stick to regular-season stats and some of the history Kelce will be chasing during this upcoming 2026 season. And as we've already looked at some of the yardage marks he'll be tracking, we'll take this time to focus on touchdowns.
Travis Kelce needs 11 receiving TDs to move into solo third on the all-time list among TEs
With his 82 receiving touchdowns, Kelce already sits in fifth place on the NFL's all-time list among tight ends, a top five that breaks down as follows:
- 1. Antonio Gates: 116
- 2. Tony Gonzalez: 111
- 3. Rob Gronkowski: 92
- 4. Jimmy Graham: 89
- 5. Travis Kelce: 82
As you can see, Kelce needs eight to surpass Jimmy Graham to take solo fourth and 11 to surpass Rob Gronkowski for solo third.
The 36-year-old hasn't found the end zone as much as he used to over the past few years, tallying just 13 total over the last three years, but he's hit double digits on three occasions during his career, going for 10 in 2018, 11 in 2020, and a career-high 12 in 2022. So, it'll take something special in 2026 for him to move up this leaderboard, but it's definitely doable.
Travis Kelce needs just three receiving TDs to move into the top 20 on the all-time list
As for where Kelce stands among all pass-catchers on the all-time list, his 82 touchdowns are currently good for a tie for 31st alongside Anquan Boldin and Reggie Wayne. But even if he posts another lower total in 2026, he should still be able to make his way into the top 20. And if he can get back to double digits, he'd make his way into the top 15.
We won't run through the entire list here, but we'll start with the aforementioned Rob Gronkowski, whose 92 receiving TDs have him sitting in the No. 14 slot.
- 14. Rob Gronkowski: 92
- 15. Isaac Bruce: 91
- 16. Jimmy Graham: 89
- 17. Don Maynard: 88
- 18. Andre Reed: 87
- T19. Lance Alworth: 85
- T19. DeAndre Hopkins: 85
- T19. Hines Ward: 85
- T19. Paul Warfield: 85
- T23. Mark Clayton: 84
- T23. Irving Fryar: 84
- T23. Tommy McDonald: 84
- T23. Andre Rison: 84
- T27. Antonio Brown: 83
- T27. Tyreek Hill: 83
- T27. Calvin Johnson: 83
- T27. Brandon Marshall: 83
- T31. Anquan Boldin: 82
- T31. Reggie Wayne: 82
- T31. Travis Kelce: 82
As you can see, Kelce needs just three TD catches to break into the top 20, as Lance Alworth, DeAndre Hopkins, Hines Ward, and Paul Warfield currently sit in a tie for 19th with 85 each.
Travis Kelce needs just three total TDs to break into the top 50 on the all-time list
Now, what we haven't mentioned yet is the fact that, in addition to his 82 receiving touchdowns, Kelce has two rushing TDs and also found the end zone in 2014 on a fumble recovery, thus bringing his overall regular-season total to 85.
As such, he currently sits in a tie for 59th among all NFL players alongside Mark Clayton, DeAndre Hopkins, and Tommy McDonald, and needs just three total TDs to break into the top 50.
- T48. Antonio Brown: 88
- T48. Ezekiel Elliott: 88
- T48. Irving Fryar: 88
- T48. Don Maynard: 88
- T48. Andre Reed: 88
- T48. Thurman Thomas: 88
- T54. Lance Alworth: 87
- T54. Alvin Kamara: 87
- T56. Ottis Anderson: 86
- T56. Hines Ward: 86
- T56. Paul Warfield: 86
- T59. Mark Clayton: 85
- T59. DeAndre Hopkins: 85
- T59. Tommy McDonald: 85
- T59. Travis Kelce: 85
So, for as much history as Travis Kelce has already made during what will undoubtedly end up being a Hall of Fame career, he's set up to make a lot more in 2026.
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