Taken by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft with the 63rd overall pick, Travis Kelce didn't have the greatest start to his professional career.
After suffering an injury to his left knee during the preseason, which was initially believed to be just a bone bruise, the Cincinnati alum took just a single regular-season snap as a rookie, that coming on special teams in Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys. And that lone snap was literally all he could take, as he was inactive the next three games before being placed on injured reserve. As it turned out, he had some cartilage damage at the end of his femur, so he first had arthroscopic surgery followed by a microfracture procedure, thus ending his campaign.
But since then, of course, Kelce has been nothing short of spectular in becoming one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, earning 11 trips to the Pro Bowl and seven total All-Pro selections (four First Team, three Second Team) while amassing 1,080 receptions for 13,002 yards and 82 touchdowns in 192 regular-season games and another 2,078 yards and 20 touchdowns on 178 catches in 25 postseason contests.
Now, we're not going to get into every category here, but we would like to focus on yardage for this particular piece, more specifically, where the future first-ballot Hall of Famer stands among the best pass-catchers in NFL history, both tight ends and wide receivers, and how he can make a little history early in the Chiefs' 2026 season.
Travis Kelce will soon have the second-most receiving yards in NFL history among tight ends
Heading into the upcoming 2026 campaign, Kelce's 13,002 regular-season receiving yards are good for third all-time among tight ends, trailing only former Chiefs (and Atlanta Falcons) great Tony Gonzalez and Dallas Cowboys legend Jason Witten, who played 16 of his 17 seasons with America's Team and one with the Las Vegas Raiders. Here's how the list currently shakes out:
- Tony Gonzalez: 15,127
- Jason Witten: 13,046
- Travis Kelce: 13,002
As you can see, Kelce needs just 45 yards to move past Witten into the No. 2 slot, and that could easily happen in Kansas City's Week 1 matchup on Monday Night Football against the rival Denver Broncos.
Travis Kelce will soon move into the top 20 all-time in receiving yardage among all pass-catchers
As to where Kelce ranks among all pass-catchers, his 13,002 yards currently have him sitting in the 23rd position on the all-time list.
- 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
- Steve Largent: 13,089
- Mike Evans: 13,052
- Jason Witten: 13,046
- Travis Kelce: 13,002
In this case, Kelce needs just 88 yards to surpass the player currently residing in the No. 20 slot, that being Seattle Seahawks legend Steve Largent. But as you can see, Mike Evans, who signed with the San Francisco 49ers this offseason after a dozen years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is also within reach of the top 20, sitting in the No. 21 position at 13,052 yards.
But while that has to be factored in, Kelce, assuming he stays healthy, will have no problem breaking into the top 20 in the early weeks of the season. And if he can manage to get back to the 1,000-yard mark for the first time since 2022, he'll be well into the top 15 and closing in on the top 10.
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