The Kansas City Chiefs have one final game left in the 2025 season. It could also be the final game of Travis Kelce’s illustrious career. No one knows for sure yet if that is the case. However, there are still some hurdles and benchmarks that Kelce could surpass if this is indeed the last time he steps on an NFL field.
Earlier in the season, we looked at where Kelce sat in terms of all-time receiving leaderboards. He has now tallied 73 receptions, 839 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns this season. It would not be surprising to see the Chiefs force some throws his way in the regular-season finale, similar to the end of the game on Christmas against the Denver Broncos.
Where could Kelce realistically finish in all-time receiving categories after Sunday? Let’s look at his current rankings in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. (All stats include regular-season appearances only. Playoff stats are not factored in.)
Career receptions
Kelce now has 1,077 receptions in his career. He needs two catches to pass Terrell Owens (1,078 career receptions) for eighth place in the all-time receptions category. It would take a monster game from Kelce to reach the next highest spot on the all-time receptions list beyond Owens. Kelce would need 17 catches against the Raiders to tie Tim Brown for seventh place. Eighth place is much simpler to imagine, though Kelce has had his fair share of dominant outings against the Silver and Black.
Career receiving yards
In terms of career receiving yards, Kelce needs just 10 to reach a nice round number of 13,000 receiving yards. Getting to 13,000 receiving yards would make Kelce the 23rd player to ever accomplish that feat.
Another active player, Mike Evans, just hit 13,000 career receiving yards this past Sunday in Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins. Davante Adams is another active player who should get to 13,000 career receiving yards. He needs 367 more, meaning he will likely wait until next year to hit that mark.
From a positional standpoint, Kelce would need 57 receiving yards on Sunday to surpass Jason Witten. Passing Witten would place Kelce in second place all-time among tight ends in career receiving yards.
Kelce needs 161 more yards to get to 1,000 receiving yards this season. If he were to hit that mark, it would be the eighth time he has tallied 1,000-plus receiving yards in a single season.
As for all-time receiving yards in NFL history, Kelce needs 100 to pass Steve Largent. He would need a massive 209 to pass Andre Reed. Both of those names are in the top 20 for all-time receiving yards. We’ll see if Kelce has a chance to pass them. Evans and Adams may get there pretty soon in their careers.
Career receiving touchdowns
Kelce is currently tied with Anquan Boldin and Reggie Wayne with 82 career receiving touchdowns. Those three are tied for 31st in that category in NFL history.
One more receiving touchdown would place Kelce in a tie with Antonio Brown, Calvin Johnson, Brandon Marshall, and former teammate Tyreek Hill for 27th on the all-time list. Two more receiving touchdowns would place Kelce in a tie with Mark Clayton, Irving Fryar, Tommy McDonald, and Andre Rison for 23rd all-time.
Three more receiving touchdowns may seem like a stretch, but Kelce has accomplished that in a game against the Raiders before. He had four touchdowns in one game against this rival at Arrowhead Stadium in 2022.
If Kelce does get three on Sunday, it would place him in a tie with Lance Alworth, Hines Ward, Paul Warfield, and another former teammate, DeAndre Hopkins, for 19th all-time. Hopkins still has a shot to climb higher himself on Sunday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers.