KSHB 41 reporter Tod Palmer covers sports business and eastern Jackson County. Share your story idea with Tod.
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Travis Kelce will take some time after the Chiefs return from Las Vegas to assess his NFL future.
If Kelce decides to retire, it will end one of the greatest careers in league history — perhaps the greatest — by a tight end.
The latest milestone — Kelce reached 13,000 career receiving yards Sunday against the AFC West rival Raiders at Allegiant Stadium — served to burnish his Hall of Fame-worthy résumé, making him the fastest tight end to reach the milestone in NFL history and tying him for the most consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions in league history.
Kelce snagged a 5-yard catch from Chris Oladokun in the first half and a 5-yard catch from Shane Buechele in the second half, becoming only the 23rd player in NFL history to reach 13,000 career receiving yards.
Tony Gonzalez (15,127) and Jason Witten (13,046) are the only other tight ends to reach the milestone. Both played 17 seasons.
Kelce, who has at least one catch in 191 consecutive games, reached the milestone in 192 career games, faster than Gonzalez (232) or Witten (259).
The catch gave Kelce an NFL-record 10 consecutive seasons with at least 75 receptions. Former Raiders Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown, who had at least 75 catches every season from 1993-2002, is the only other player in league history with such a streak.
Kelce, who had 1,079 receptions for 13,000 yards with 82 touchdowns at the time of his milestone-achieving catch in the third quarter, also passed Terrell Owens for the eighth-most catches in NFL history on the play.
Jerry Rice is the all-time NFL leader in receiving yards (22,895), with Larry Fitzgerald second (17,492) and Owens third (15,934).
Of course, Kelce’s gaudy numbers don’t even include playoff stats.
He is the NFL’s all-time leader with 178 postseason catches and ranks second with 2,078 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns, trailing only Rice (2,245 and 22).
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