Travis Kelce

Kelce was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (63rd pick overall) of the 2013 NFL Draft.[25] The Chiefs had hired Andy Reid as their new head coach during the off-season. Reid was familiar with Kelce after he had drafted and coached his brother, Jason Kelce, in 2011 during his time as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles.[26][27]

On June 6, 2013, the Chiefs signed Kelce to a four-year, $3.12 million rookie contract that also included a signing bonus of $703,304.[28] Kelce would injure his knee in the preseason. The injury was later diagnosed as a bone bruise. After being limited the first two weeks of the season due to the injury and being inactive the next 3 games, Kelce was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2013, after having a microfracture surgery performed on his knee.[29] He only played one snap on special teams in the Chiefs' Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys.[30]

Kelce in 2014

During Week 3 against the Miami Dolphins, Kelce recorded his first NFL touchdown on a 20-yard reception from quarterback Alex Smith.[31] On November 30, he was fined $11,025 for "unsportsmanlike conduct" during a 29–16 loss to the Denver Broncos. Kelce made an inappropriate hand gesture and motion at the Broncos linebacker Von Miller. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid later called this "immature".[32] In the next game against the Arizona Cardinals, Kelce had seven receptions for 110 yards for his first NFL game with over 100 receiving yards.[33] In the regular-season finale against the San Diego Chargers, he had an offensive fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 19–7 victory.[34] Kelce was the Chiefs' leading receiver during the 2014 season, totaling 862 yards off 67 receptions.[35]

Kelce began the 2015 season with his first NFL multiple touchdown game, with six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–20 victory over the Houston Texans.[36] It was his only 100-plus-yard game, but he had at least one reception in all 16 games,[37] and was ranked a top-five tight end by ESPN.[38] He started all 16 regular season games and recorded 72 catches for 875 yards and five touchdowns, earning his way to his first Pro Bowl.[39][40] The Chiefs finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs.[41] In his first NFL playoff game, Kelce had eight receptions for 128 yards in a 30–0 Wild Card Round victory over the Texans.[42] In the Divisional Round against the New England Patriots, Kelce had six receptions for 23 yards as the Chiefs lost 27–20.[43] He was ranked 91st by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[44]

On January 29, 2016, Kelce signed a five-year, $46 million contract extension.[45] He was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[44]

During Week 8 against the Indianapolis Colts, Kelce had seven receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown.[46] In the next game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he was ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after arguing with two officials over not having a pass interference penalty called.[47] The second resulted from him sarcastically throwing his towel at field judge Mike Weatherford in a flagging motion due to being upset about the first penalty. He was later fined $24,309 for his outburst.[48] During Week 13 against the Atlanta Falcons, he had eight receptions for 140 yards.[49] In the next game, Kelce recorded 101 receiving yards against the Oakland Raiders, his fourth consecutive game topping 100.[50] He joined Jimmy Graham and former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez as the only NFL tight ends ever to do so.[51] In a Christmas Day win over the Denver Broncos, Kelce had career bests of 11 receptions for 160 yards and a career-long 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass.[37] He finished the season with career highs in yards (1,125) and receptions (85).[52] His 1,125 receiving yards led the league among tight ends and his 85 receptions were second among tight ends behind Dennis Pitta of the Baltimore Ravens. Kelce's 634 yards after the catch also led all NFL tight ends.[53] He was named as a starter in his second career Pro Bowl, held on December 20, 2016.[54] He was also named First-team All-Pro.[55] He was ranked 26th by his fellow players, and second among tight ends, on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017.[56]

The Chiefs finished atop the AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs.[57] In the Divisional Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce had five receptions for 77 yards in the 18–16 loss.[58]

Kelce taking a photo with US military personnel in 2017

During Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce had eight receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown in the 27–20 victory.[59] After just one reception for one yard in Week 3 against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kelce recorded seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against the Washington Redskins followed by eight for 98 in Week 5 against the Houston Texans.[60][61][62] During Week 8, Kelce had seven receptions for 133 yards to pass Zach Ertz as the NFL's leading tight end in both categories,[63] along with a touchdown. During Week 13 against the New York Jets, Kelce opened the game with spectacular fashion, scoring two receiving touchdowns on 90 receiving yards in the first 2 minutes and 46 seconds of regulation. He finished the game with 94 receiving yards on four receptions in the 38–31 loss.[64] On December 19, 2017, Kelce was named to his third straight Pro Bowl.[65] Kelce finished the season with a career-high eight receiving touchdowns.[66] He finished second among tight ends with 1,038 receiving yards, only trailing Gronkowski's 1,084 receiving yards.[67] He was ranked 24th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[68]

The 10–6 Chiefs[69] entered the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Tennessee Titans, where Kelce finished with four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in the 21–22 defeat.[70] He was not able to finish the game as he suffered a concussion in the first half on a hit to his helmet.[71]

In the 2018 season, Kelce benefited from the rise of new quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who had an MVP season.[72] After being held to a lone reception for six yards in the season opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, he rebounded with seven receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 2 road victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers.[73] In two of the next three games, he was able to reach 100 receiving yards against the San Francisco 49ers and the Jacksonville Jaguars.[74][75] He added 99 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 9 win over the Cleveland Browns, and went into the Week 12 bye with 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in an offensively spectacular 54–51 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. In the Week 13 win over the Oakland Raiders, Kelce had career-bests of 12 receptions and 168 yards, including two short touchdowns in the first half.[76] At this point, he was well on his way to an NFL record, but his production tapered off; over the final four weeks, Kelce averaged six receptions for 63.5 yards and had only one touchdown reception.[37] In Week 17, Kelce indeed broke the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season, but 49ers tight end George Kittle passed him to claim the record less than an hour later.[77] Kelce ended the regular season at 10th in the NFL in receptions with 103 and receiving yards with 1,336, and sixth in receiving touchdowns with 10.[78] He was named to the 2018 Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro.[79]

The Chiefs finished atop the AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye.[80] In the Divisional Round against the Indianapolis Colts, he had seven receptions for 108 yards in the 31–13 victory.[81] In the AFC Championship against the New England Patriots, he had three receptions for 23 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 37–31 overtime loss.[82] He was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[83]

During Week 2 against the Oakland Raiders, Kelce caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown of the season as the Chiefs won by a score of 28–10.[84] Despite injuries to quarterback Patrick Mahomes and just two touchdowns, at the midpoint of the season Kelce led all tight ends and Chiefs players in receiving yards with 604.[85][86] During Week 11 against the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in Mexico, Kelce caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in the 24–17 win.[87] During Week 14 against the New England Patriots, Kelce caught seven passes for 66 yards and rushed the ball once for a one-yard touchdown during the 23–16 road victory.[88] In the next game against the Denver Broncos, Kelce finished with 11 catches for 142 receiving yards as the Chiefs won 23–3.[89] In the next game against the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football, he caught eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in the 26–3 win. During the game, he became the fastest tight end in NFL history to record 500 career receptions.[90]

Kelce finished the 2019 season with 97 receptions for 1,229 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns to go along with his one rushing touchdown.[91] Kelce became the first tight end in NFL history to record four consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards.[92] He was named to his fifth Pro Bowl for his 2019 season.[93]

In the Divisional Round against the Houston Texans, the Chiefs began the game with a 24–0 deficit. The Chiefs would then go on a 51–7 run, including 41 unanswered points, to win 51–31. After a drop on third down on the Chiefs first drive that would have been a first down if it had been caught, Kelce caught 10 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns (all in the second quarter) as he helped lead the Chiefs to their second consecutive conference championship game.[94] In the AFC Championship Game against the Tennessee Titans, Kelce caught three passes for 30 yards during the 35–24 win.[95] In Super Bowl LIV against the San Francisco 49ers, Kelce caught six passes for 43 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown and had one carry for two rushing yards during the 31–20 win.[96] He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.[97]

Following the release of long-time Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt in the offseason, Kelce became tied with Anthony Sherman and fellow 2013 draftee Eric Fisher as the longest tenured members of the Chiefs.[98] On August 14, 2020, Kelce signed a four-year, $57 million contract extension with the Chiefs through the 2025 season.[99] In Week 6, against the Buffalo Bills, he recorded two receiving touchdowns in the 26–17 victory.[100] In Week 8 against the New York Jets, Kelce dunked the ball through the goal posts after scoring a touchdown, paying homage to former Chiefs tight end Tony Gonzalez. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and was fined $12,500.[101] In Week 9, against the Carolina Panthers, he had ten receptions for 159 receiving yards in the 33–31 victory.[102]

In Week 11 against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday Night Football, Kelce recorded eight catches for 127 yards including the game-winning touchdown during the 35–31 win.[103] In Week 13 against the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football, Kelce recorded eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown during the 22–16 win.[104] In the following game, he posted an identical statistical performance of eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown against the Miami Dolphins in a 33–27 victory.[105] In Week 16, Kelce became the first tight end to have two 100-catch seasons.[3][2] Kelce caught seven passes, giving him a career-high 105 for the season. Kelce set the single-season yardage record for a tight end with 1,416, topping the 1,377 yards posted by George Kittle in 2018.[3][2][106] His yardage ranked second overall in the 2020 NFL season (behind Stefon Diggs' 1,535), while his total receptions ranked fifth in the NFL and second among tight ends (behind Darren Waller's 107).[107] He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl and earned First-team All-Pro honors.[108][109]

In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Cleveland Browns, Kelce recorded eight catches for 109 yards and a touchdown during the 22–17 win.[110] In the AFC Championship against the Bills, Kelce recorded 13 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–24 win to advance to Super Bowl LV.[111] In the Super Bowl, despite Kelce catching 10 passes for 133 yards which set the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single Super Bowl, the Chiefs could not score a touchdown in the 31–9 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[112][113] He was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.[114]

Kelce playing against the Washington Football Team in 2021

Following the release of longtime Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher and retirement of longtime fullback Anthony Sherman in the offseason, Kelce became the longest-tenured member of the Chiefs.[98] In the Chiefs second game of the season against the Baltimore Ravens, he become the fastest tight end in NFL history to record 8,000 career yards, surpassing Rob Gronkowski's record in 113 games.[115] In the Chiefs week 15 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, he set a career high for receiving yards in a game with 191 yards. He also caught two touchdowns, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown in overtime.[116] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.[117] The game also put him over 1,000 yards for the season, his NFL record (among tight ends) extending sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season. It also extended his record for most 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end with six. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 20, 2021.[118] He was activated on December 25, 2021.[119] However, due to NFL protocols for COVID-19, since he tested positive for the virus and did not test negative before the day of the game, he was ruled out for the Chiefs Week 16 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was the first game he'd missed due to injury or illness since his rookie season.[120] In the regular season-ending game against the Denver Broncos, Kelce became the fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 9,000 career yards in just 127 games, a record also previously held by Gronkowski with 140 games.[121] He finished the season with 92 receptions for 1,125 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. He was named Second-Team All-Pro by the AP, his sixth overall All-Pro selection. He was also named to his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl.[122]

In the Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce had five receptions for 108 yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with a two-yard touchdown pass to Byron Pringle in the 42–21 victory.[123] In the Divisional Round against the Buffalo Bills, he had eight receptions for 96 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the 42–36 overtime victory.[124] Kelce was wearing an NFL Films microphone for the game, and audio footage from the two offensive plays of the 13-second drive revealed that Kelce instructed Tyreek Hill to run the route which led to the success of the first completion, and revealed him suggesting to Mahomes that he might improvise his own route on the second offensive play if the Bills' defensive scheme didn't change. Prior to the snap, Mahomes realized Kelce's suggested improvised route would work and shouted "Do it, Kelce!", before finding his tight-end for a completion of 25 yards.[125]

In the AFC Championship against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 10 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown in the 27–24 overtime loss.[126]

Kelce (left) with President Joe Biden in 2023

In Week 5, Kelce had four receiving touchdowns in the 30–29 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.[127] Kelce tied the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a game.[128][129] In the Chiefs' Week 11 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, he recorded his NFL record-breaking (among tight ends) 33rd 100-yard receiving game with 115 yards. He also scored three touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown, his second straight season recording a game-winning touchdown against the Chargers.[4] In Week 14 against the Denver Broncos, he became the fifth tight end in NFL history to have 10,000 receiving yards. He also officially recorded his seventh consecutive 1,000-yard season, extending his records (among tight ends) of consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and most overall 1,000 seasons.[130] He finished the 2022 season with 110 receptions for 1,338 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.[131] Kelce set a single-game NFL postseason record for a tight end with 14 receptions in a 27–20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the Divisional Round.[132] He scored two receiving touchdowns in the game.[133] Kelce and the Chiefs appeared in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce's brother Jason played for the Eagles, making it the first Super Bowl to feature two brothers as players on opposing teams.[134] Kelce caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38–35 to win his second Super Bowl.[135]

Kelce (center) before a 2023 game against the Denver Broncos

Kelce was made inactive for the Chiefs' game against the Detroit Lions due to a knee injury he suffered earlier in the week. It was his first game missed due to an injury since his rookie season.[136] Kelce made his season debut the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars.[137] In the Chiefs week 7 game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kelce tied a career high with 12 receptions. He also had 179 receiving yards, the second highest of his career.

• Consecutive 1,000-plus-yard seasons (7, 2016–2022)[1][138]
• 1,000-yard seasons (7, 2016–2022)[1][138]
• Receiving yards in a season (1,416, 2020)[2][3]
• Career postseason receptions (133)
• 100+ reception seasons (3)[2][3]
• Fewest games to 10,000 career receiving yards (140)[1]
• 100 receiving yard games (35)[4]
• Career postseason receiving touchdowns: 16[139]

• 100-plus-yard receiving games (35)[140]
• Receiving touchdowns in a game (tied, 4)[128]

• 2× Super Bowl champion (LIV, LVII)
• 4× First-team All-Pro (2016, 2018, 2020, 2022)
• 3× Second-team All-Pro (2017, 2019, 2021)
• 8× Pro Bowl (2015–2022)
• NFL 2010s All-Decade Team

• First-team All-Big East (2012)[141]

In 2015, Kelce started the Eighty-Seven & Running foundation to give mentoring, training, motivation, and opportunities to underprivileged youth.[142] For his charity work, he was the Chiefs' team nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award in 2020.[143]

Kelce in 2021

In January 2016, Kelce starred in the E! Entertainment Television dating show Catching Kelce.[144] The winner picked by Kelce was Maya Benberry.

In 2020, Kelce appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in the first episode of the comedy series Moonbase 8.[145]

Kelce was the host of Saturday Night Live on March 4, 2023.[146] His brother Jason also made an appearance on that episode with their parents as audience members, and was also in a sketch with Travis and SNL cast members Heidi Gardner and Chloe Fineman.[147][148] He made a cameo appearance on the October 14, 2023 episode.[149]

In May 2023, he signed with Creative Artists Agency for off-the-field representation while maintaining his same agent for his NFL representation.[150]

Kelce is an avid car collector.[151]

In September 2022, Kelce and his brother, Jason, launched a weekly podcast called New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. In the podcast, they discuss the NFL, as well as each other's games. The show also occasionally features guest stars.[152][153]

Kelce has appeared in commercials for Bud Light, Pfizer,[154] State Farm,[155] DirectTV,[156] and Experian.[157]

Kelce and Maya Benberry, the winner of his dating show, started dating after the show ended in April 2016.[158] In January 2017, Benberry confirmed that they had broken up.[159]

From 2017 to 2022, Kelce was in a relationship with social media influencer Kayla Nicole.[160][161][162]

During the 2023 NFL season, several media outlets linked Kelce romantically to singer Taylor Swift,[163][164] though this has not been directly confirmed by Kelce or Swift.[165] Swift has attended several Chiefs games throughout the season, sitting among friends and family of Kelce.[164][166][149] The alleged relationship between Kelce and Swift had considerable impact on NFL viewership, with the Chiefs–Bears game drawing the most television viewers of the weekend. Kelce's jersey sales increased by 400%. An increase in sales of Chiefs home game tickets was also documented.[167] NBC used Kelce and Swift to promote the Chiefs' Sunday Night Football game at the New York Jets the following week, producing a promo set to Swift's song "Welcome to New York".[168] The game, which Swift also attended, averaged 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday-night NFL game since Super Bowl LVII.[169]

Through his Super Bowl runs with the Chiefs, Kelce became known for reciting the chorus from the Beastie Boys' 1986 song "(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)" during team celebrations, first after the 2019 AFC Championship Game then again at the parade in Kansas City after clinching Super Bowl LIV. The Chiefs responded by making "Fight for Your Right" its touchdown song during games at Arrowhead Stadium.[170][171] Kelce would continue the practice with the Chiefs' second championship in four years, adding a live performance of the song with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show.[172]