The Kansas City Chiefs kicked off their 2026 campaign on Monday night with an impressive 31-10 victory over the rival Denver Broncos, and Travis Kelce kicked off his 14th (and perhaps final) season by making a little NFL history, as he moved past Jason Witten into second place on the league's all-time list for receiving yards by a tight end.
Coming into Monday night's matchup, the 11-time Pro Bowler needed just 45 yards to surpass Witten, who racked up 13,046 regular-season yards during his 17-year career, the first 12,977 over 16 seasons with the Dallas Cowboys and the final 69 in his lone year with the Las Vegas Raiders. But for a while, with Kenneth Walker III getting the bulk of the touches for the Kansas City offense, it seemed as if Kelce might not make it, as he caught just one pass from Patrick Mahomes in the first half, which went for only six yards.
With just a little over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, however, the future Hall of Famer had his moment, as he took a short pass from Mahomes and ultimately went for a 59-yard gain down to the Denver 4-yard line. The Chiefs couldn't find the end zone to close out the drive, but Harrison Butker connected on a 28-yard field goal to give Kansas City a 24-10 lead.
Another exclamation point for @tkelce‼️ pic.twitter.com/woDUdnbG8a
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) September 15, 2026
In adding another six-yard grab in the fourth quarter, Kelce ended his evening with 71 yards and now has 13,073 regular-season receiving yards for his career, with the only tight end sitting in front of him being the great Tony Gonzalez, who tallied 15,127 yards during his 17-year career, the first 10,940 coming in his dozen-year run in Kansas City and the last 4,187 during his five-season stretch with the Atlanta Falcons.
He's obviously not surpassing Gonzalez this season, but Kelce certainly isn't done making history in 2026, as he's just getting started.
Travis Kelce will soon move into the top 20 on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list
In surpassing Witten on the all-time list for receiving yards by a tight end, Kelce obviously also surpassed him on the league's overall list, moving into 22nd. And it won't be long before the three-time Super Bowl champ cracks the top 20.
- Jerry Rice: 22,895
- Larry Fitzgerald: 17,492
- Terrell Owens: 15,934
- Randy Moss: 15,292
- Isaac Bruce: 15,208
- Tony Gonzalez: 15,127
- Tim Brown: 14,934
- Steve Smith Sr.: 14,731
- Marvin Harrison Sr.: 14,580
- Reggie Wayne: 14,345
- Andre Johnson: 14,185
- James Lofton: 14,004
- Cris Carter: 13,899
- Anquan Boldin: 13,779
- Henry Ellard: 13,777
- Julio Jones: 13,703
- Torry Holt: 13,382
- DeAndre Hopkins: 13,295
- Andre Reed: 13,198
- Mike Evans: 13,101
- Steve Largent: 13,089
- Travis Kelce: 13,073
As you can see, the No. 20 slot currently belongs to longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, who surpassed Seattle Seahawks legend Steve Largent last Thursday in Australia with a 49-yard outing in his debut for the San Francisco 49ers in a 27-7 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
Kelce needs only 17 yards to move past Largent, but whether he gets into the top 20 during the Chiefs' Week 2 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football naturally depends on what Evans does earlier that day in the Niners' Week 2 outing against the Miami Dolphins.
But even if he doesn't crack the top 20 this Sunday, it won't be long before he gets there, as he needs only 126 yards to surpass the man in the No. 19 slot, that being Buffalo Bills legend Andre Reed. So, more history is on the way.
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