OSDB - Travis Kelce - Kansas City Chiefs (2024)

BIOGRAPHY

Travis Kelce was born on October 5th, 1989, in Cleveland Heights, Ohio. He is a tight end in the National Football League.

Kelce attended Clevland Heights High School where he played football, basketball, and baseball. In his senior year, Kelce threw for more than 1,500 yards with 21 touchdowns and added 1,016 yards on the ground for ten rushing scores. He was an All Lake Erie League quarterback. Kelce received multiple scholarship offers and committed to the University of Cincinnati following his senior year.

Kelce played three seasons for the Bearcats and joined his brother Jason Kelce in 2009 after redshirting in 2008. He played quarterback and tight end in a wildcat offensive system. He totaled 59 receptions for 875 yards and ten receiving touchdowns. Kelce was named First Team All-Big East in 2012 and named the winner of the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year.

Kelce was selected in the third round by the Kansas City Chiefs with the 63rd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft. On June 6th, 2013, the Chiefs signed him to a four-year, $3.12 million rookie contract that also included a signing bonus of $703,304. Kelce exploded on the NFL scene with a break-out year in 2014. He has caught 410 receptions for more than 5,200 yards and 32 touchdowns. He is considered among the best tight ends in the league and is a critical component in the Chiefs' high-powered offense. Travis Kelce signed a five-year, $46,842,000 contract with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2016, which included a $10,000,000 signing bonus, $20,017,000 guaranteed, and an average annual salary of $9,368,400. Kelce is a four-time Pro Bowl selection and has been selected to his fourth consecutive Pro Bowl since 2015, in addition to being a two-time First-Team All-Pro and Second-Team All-Pro. In 2018, Kelce hauled in 103 passes for 1,336 yards and ten touchdowns and helped the Chiefs' squad secure an AFC West Divison Championship and a trip to the Conference Round Championship. He broke the NFL record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season.

In the 2019 season, 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. Kelce became the first tight end in NFL history to record four consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 receiving yards. He would help the Chiefs to a super bowl victory against the San Francisco 49ers with six passes for 43 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown and had one carry for two rushing yards during the 31–20 win.

In the 2020 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. 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). The Chiefs made it for the 2nd year in a row to the Super Bowl but came up short with a loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

He finished the 2021 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.

In Week 5 of the 2022 season, Kelce had four receiving touchdowns in the 30–29 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders. Kelce tied the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a game. 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. 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.

Kelce and the Chiefs would appear and win in Super Bowl LVII against the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelce caught a TD pass in the game.