With an outstanding career on the field, a stack of endorsement deals, and a very public relationship with one of the world’s biggest names in pop music (Taylor Swift), Travis Kelce is indeed one of the faces of the NFL these days.
Here’s a look back at his career with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Travis Kelce’s Career With the Kansas City Chiefs
Kelce has spent all 11 of his NFL seasons with the Chiefs, beginning in 2013. After appearing in one game as a rookie, he became a regular at the tight end position in 2014, starting 11 of his 16 games and finishing with 67 receptions for 862 yards and five touchdown catches.
The following season (2015), Kelce earned his first Pro Bowl selection, starting all 16 games and wound up with 72 catches for 872 yards and five more touchdowns. This was the first of nine consecutive Pro Bowl selections for Kelce.
In 2016, he added a first-team All-Pro to his list of accolades, leading all tight ends with 1,125 receiving yards (on 85 receptions) and four touchdowns. Kelce would go on to earn first-team All-Pro honors in 2018, 2020, and 2022.
For the next eight seasons (2016 through 2023), Kelce established himself as the league’s top tight end. He missed just four games over those eight seasons and averaged 96 catches and nearly 1,200 receiving yards per year.
During this stretch, Kelce also caught 64 touchdowns, leading all NFL tight ends in touchdowns for three straight seasons (2020-22). In Kelce’s three first-team All-Pro honor seasons, he topped 100 catches in each, with his career high for receptions coming in 2022 (110).
In 2020, Kelce set the NFL single-season record for receiving yards by a tight end, finishing with a career-high 1,416 yards. In all, three of the top five seasons for most receiving yards by a tight end belong to Kelce.
How Many Super Bowls Has Kelce Won?
Kelce has appeared in three Super Bowls and come away with wins in two of them. His first Super Bowl appearance came in the 2019 season (Super Bowl LIV), and although his overall numbers were average (six receptions, 43 yards), he played a major role in the Chiefs’ fourth-quarter comeback.
Trailing 20-10 midway through the fourth quarter, Kelce caught a one-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Patrick Mahomes, bringing Kansas City within a field goal, 20-17. The Chiefs would go on to score two more touchdowns in three minutes to close out with a 31-20 victory.
The following year, in Super Bowl LV, the Chiefs were denied a chance to repeat as champions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, playing on their home field at Raymond James Stadium, came away with a convincing 31-9 victory over Kansas City. For his part, though, Kelce finished with 10 receptions for 133 yards, both game highs.
MORE: Is Travis Kelce Retiring?
Kelce won his second Super Bowl title last year, as the Chiefs defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 38-35, to win Super Bowl LVII. Kelce finished with six receptions for a team-high 81 yards. He scored Kansas City’s first touchdown of the game in the first quarter, an 18-yard reception from Mahomes.
In all, Kelce has appeared in three Super Bowls, winning twice. His total numbers over those three games include 22 receptions, 257 receiving yards, and two touchdowns.
When Did the Chiefs Draft Kelce?
Kelce was a third-round selection (No. 63 overall) by Kansas City in the 2013 NFL Draft. He had attended the University of Cincinnati, and came to the Chiefs at the same time that head coach Andy Reid was hired by Kansas City.
Ironically, Reid, during his days with the Eagles, drafted Kelce’s older brother, Jason, back in 2011.
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