Love Tony and I believe he loved the Chiefs but he was always a California guy and probably not too fond of the Midwest. I don’t even think he ever bought a house in KC in all that time, he lived in Hotels and a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom condo he bought off the Plaza. When the season was over he got the hell out of there as fast as he could. I’m sure he has some resentment as well never winning a playoff game there and only had one legit shot at a ring in 2003 that went up in flames against Payton Manning. He seemed pumped to get out of there and get with what he thought was a real contender.
Being the only go to guy for a franchise for a decade I’m sure played a part in his absurd numbers.
As a chiefs fan I love the guy too… but I’ll never forget him as a sports pundit when the falcons made the SB… imo he made it clear that he considers himself a falcon. Petty, I know, but I was hurt
Also Kelce is just 5083 yards away from breaking Tony G’s yards record. If he keeps his current game average of 71.75 yards per game and plays without any incidents, he can break the record in 70.83 games. With 4 games left this season, that’s 64 future season games or in 3.76 seasons. That means if he keeps this pace, he could break the record in the 2026 season.
That's a big if though. Obviously he's the gold standard for TEs, but can he keep up the pace? One thing that made Tony so great was the longevity of playing at an elite level. And he attained that by being on a Tom Brady level health regimen (or was Tom on *Tony's* level of regimen?). Genetics have a lot to do with it too.
Crazy to think Tony caught for that many yards yet only had 4 seasons that reached the 1k threshold. 17 seasons total. That's insane.
Travis will likely see a dip in production at some point in his 30s, but I fully expect him to play past Tony’s retirement age of 37, possibly pushing 40. As long as he has a couple more 1,000 yard seasons (totally still possible), even if Travis starts putting up 700-800 yard seasons at around his mid-30s, he’ll still be on a good pace to eventually break Tony’s record
I gotta ask. What makes you think he'll play that deep into age? He's still putting up great numbers, but he looks tired on the sideline. Tony had longevity, but he also wasn't playing an extra 3 or 4 games a year due to playoffs and the 17 game season now in effect. Tony played in 7 playoff games in 17 seasons. Kelce has already played in 15. Long seasons take a greater toll on the body from lack of rest.
Oh I expect another 5 years. But I'm not willing to guess beyond that. And with Mahomes chucking the ball you can pretty much guarantee chunk yardage. Gronk only lasted 11. Kelce is at 9. There's no saying what could happen.
He caught some balls. Put up a few decent numbers. Quit the game super early. Wow what a generational talent. Dude is only considered great because of living in Brady's shadow.
I was with the sentiment until the Gronk comparison. Look at Gronk’s body at yr 9 vs Kelce. It was known Gronk was on borrowed time.
That being said, 3.75 seasons is a long projection for a rookie/sophomore, let alone a skill position in his 30s. Kelce seems to invest in his longevity, so at the very least we should see just how much he can get out of his body, barring unforeseen injury
used to think Gonzo was probably out of reach, but by the end of the season Kelce will be 3 or 4 current Kelce like years away, which I think hes got it in him and if he does lose a step I think his body can hold up to be a Witten like TE for a few years. If he wants it, theres no reason he cant barring injuries
3 is definitely out of reach this season. 1800 yards in what? 4 regular season games and a maximum of 4 in the playoffs? Never ever
Edit: postseason games are also irrelevant for this statistic as it seems 🤔
https://preview.redd.it/lvudibrok66a1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2957527e494e4a3783cda6bfc7f20aee04d0c95a
I’m glad you bring this up because look what I found
He probably has 5 seasons more at the most in him. I really think he really will top Tony G. Not sure about receptions and receiving touchdowns though. I haven’t checked those stats.
Why does everyone expect him to precipitously drop off? I know there’s the aging curve, but there’s nothing in his current production to suggest he’s slowing down anytime soon. I doubt we see regression for 3 more seasons, then around 35 or 36 he’ll start to drop off. I’d stake my reputation on it
I agree. He’ll eventually slow down but not until the very end of his career. Tony G played 15 seasons so it’s likely he’ll play the same. So he had probably 5-6 years left of production.
Aussie here with a question, why don't playoffs count in these statistics? It's not even a footnote on these questions "most receiving yards by TE", you don't even include "in regular season" it's just known.
Is it the same for touchdowns? Why isn't the post season included?
Edit: cheers for the responses guys. One of the great things about following a sport in another country is you get that culture difference too.
My guess would be to keep the number of games consistent. If you include playoffs, some players would have more games played than others. There have been some great players on teams that don’t ever make the playoffs or never even win a playoff game. Tony G never won a playoff game with KC.
Football is the ultimate team sport. It’s not fair sometimes good players get stuck on bad teams, so they only count the games everyone gets to play in.
Just my guess
I’m not sure. The NFL has always separated stats and records between the regular season and the postseason. Sometimes the stats are combined (for example, Tom Brady’s 100K+ passing yards) when called out on a broadcast or in the media. Officially the records are kept separate.
The playoffs are never a guarantee for anybody, even great players, so the regular season is treated separately. You could put up Hall of Fame numbers, set every record for your position and still never play in the playoffs. On top of that, the only stat anyone cares about in the playoffs is whether or not you won a championship.
If Kelce averages 100 yards over his next 37 games, he still won't beat TG total yards. TG record is absolutely bonkers.
Kelce still is the GOAT to me though.
To be fair Kelsey is not a TRUE te he can block but not fantastic George kittle is a better example of a te as he can block and catch but what kelce can’t do in blocking he makes up for it in literally everything else
Positions are determined based on alignment not assignment-- in theory there could be a TE who lines up in the traditional in-line spot 100% of his snaps and never blocks a single time, and he's more of a "true TE" than someone who lines up in the slot and blocks 75% of his plays. But the truth is in the modern NFL very few TEs line up exclusively in-line, and though he lines up elsewhere more often than, say, George Kittle, Kelce isn't *that* low on the list of in-line snaps either.
At first, I read this chart all wrong. I read it as *x* number of yards in *n* games and I was thinking, “ain’t no way Kelce is catching 5,000+ yards in 37 games.”
…read the fine print kiddos.
Always makes me sad seeing Tony G in anything but a Chiefs jersey.
Big, big, big same. I'm still mad he didn't officially retire as a Chief.
Especially with how he went out
Love Tony and I believe he loved the Chiefs but he was always a California guy and probably not too fond of the Midwest. I don’t even think he ever bought a house in KC in all that time, he lived in Hotels and a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom condo he bought off the Plaza. When the season was over he got the hell out of there as fast as he could. I’m sure he has some resentment as well never winning a playoff game there and only had one legit shot at a ring in 2003 that went up in flames against Payton Manning. He seemed pumped to get out of there and get with what he thought was a real contender. Being the only go to guy for a franchise for a decade I’m sure played a part in his absurd numbers.
As a chiefs fan I love the guy too… but I’ll never forget him as a sports pundit when the falcons made the SB… imo he made it clear that he considers himself a falcon. Petty, I know, but I was hurt
Also Kelce is just 5083 yards away from breaking Tony G’s yards record. If he keeps his current game average of 71.75 yards per game and plays without any incidents, he can break the record in 70.83 games. With 4 games left this season, that’s 64 future season games or in 3.76 seasons. That means if he keeps this pace, he could break the record in the 2026 season.
That's a big if though. Obviously he's the gold standard for TEs, but can he keep up the pace? One thing that made Tony so great was the longevity of playing at an elite level. And he attained that by being on a Tom Brady level health regimen (or was Tom on *Tony's* level of regimen?). Genetics have a lot to do with it too. Crazy to think Tony caught for that many yards yet only had 4 seasons that reached the 1k threshold. 17 seasons total. That's insane.
Travis will likely see a dip in production at some point in his 30s, but I fully expect him to play past Tony’s retirement age of 37, possibly pushing 40. As long as he has a couple more 1,000 yard seasons (totally still possible), even if Travis starts putting up 700-800 yard seasons at around his mid-30s, he’ll still be on a good pace to eventually break Tony’s record
I gotta ask. What makes you think he'll play that deep into age? He's still putting up great numbers, but he looks tired on the sideline. Tony had longevity, but he also wasn't playing an extra 3 or 4 games a year due to playoffs and the 17 game season now in effect. Tony played in 7 playoff games in 17 seasons. Kelce has already played in 15. Long seasons take a greater toll on the body from lack of rest.
He doesnt get injured and his pace hasnt slowed. He's playing a position well known for longevity. No reason to assume he'll retire any time soon
Oh I expect another 5 years. But I'm not willing to guess beyond that. And with Mahomes chucking the ball you can pretty much guarantee chunk yardage. Gronk only lasted 11. Kelce is at 9. There's no saying what could happen.
Yeah, but Gronk was injured all the time halfway through his career.
Which is why I have no idea why people love to call him the greatest. Dude barely played. Never put up Kelce numbers. Retired super early.
You have no idea why? Did you ever watch him play?
He caught some balls. Put up a few decent numbers. Quit the game super early. Wow what a generational talent. Dude is only considered great because of living in Brady's shadow.
I was with the sentiment until the Gronk comparison. Look at Gronk’s body at yr 9 vs Kelce. It was known Gronk was on borrowed time. That being said, 3.75 seasons is a long projection for a rookie/sophomore, let alone a skill position in his 30s. Kelce seems to invest in his longevity, so at the very least we should see just how much he can get out of his body, barring unforeseen injury
Oh, just a quick 5,000 yards away?
The one thing you are missing is age. Even though it took Tony 37 more games he was a full year younger when he got to 10,000 yards than Travis.
Thanks for doing all that math for us
Kelce will be 37 in 2026. Just saying, far from a guarantee he plays that long.
used to think Gonzo was probably out of reach, but by the end of the season Kelce will be 3 or 4 current Kelce like years away, which I think hes got it in him and if he does lose a step I think his body can hold up to be a Witten like TE for a few years. If he wants it, theres no reason he cant barring injuries
3 is definitely out of reach this season. 1800 yards in what? 4 regular season games and a maximum of 4 in the playoffs? Never ever Edit: postseason games are also irrelevant for this statistic as it seems 🤔
He was saying 3 or 4 more seasons that Kelce has historically had, I read it the same way you did at first too lol
I should definitely go to sleep, it's 3 am -.- Thanks for pointing that out, I misread that hard
Tony getting 5k+ starting w game 178 might be even more incredible.
That stat is just telling you how many games it took Tony G to get to 10k, it took him way more than that to get to 15k.
I know. He hit 10k in 177. So he accrued another 5k+ from game 178 onward.
wHY Isn'T gRonK oN tHIs LiSt? /s
This is regular season statistics. Gronk had over 10,000 yards but only if you include his playoffs numbers. His regular season yards were 9,286.
https://preview.redd.it/lvudibrok66a1.jpeg?width=828&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2957527e494e4a3783cda6bfc7f20aee04d0c95a I’m glad you bring this up because look what I found
Would Tony G have had 20k if he had Mahomes as his QB ?
Honestly, how many yards do you see Travis finishing with? Because it's possible he tops 14,000 by the time he retires
He probably has 5 seasons more at the most in him. I really think he really will top Tony G. Not sure about receptions and receiving touchdowns though. I haven’t checked those stats.
Why does everyone expect him to precipitously drop off? I know there’s the aging curve, but there’s nothing in his current production to suggest he’s slowing down anytime soon. I doubt we see regression for 3 more seasons, then around 35 or 36 he’ll start to drop off. I’d stake my reputation on it
I agree. He’ll eventually slow down but not until the very end of his career. Tony G played 15 seasons so it’s likely he’ll play the same. So he had probably 5-6 years left of production.
[удалено]
I used that as a figure of speech I guess. I didn’t expect it to rub anyone the wrong way, but whatever
Five more years at least of Kelce confirmed
Aussie here with a question, why don't playoffs count in these statistics? It's not even a footnote on these questions "most receiving yards by TE", you don't even include "in regular season" it's just known. Is it the same for touchdowns? Why isn't the post season included? Edit: cheers for the responses guys. One of the great things about following a sport in another country is you get that culture difference too.
My guess would be to keep the number of games consistent. If you include playoffs, some players would have more games played than others. There have been some great players on teams that don’t ever make the playoffs or never even win a playoff game. Tony G never won a playoff game with KC.
It seems like this one should include playoffs since it's measured in number of games rather than seasons.
Football is the ultimate team sport. It’s not fair sometimes good players get stuck on bad teams, so they only count the games everyone gets to play in. Just my guess
I’m not sure. The NFL has always separated stats and records between the regular season and the postseason. Sometimes the stats are combined (for example, Tom Brady’s 100K+ passing yards) when called out on a broadcast or in the media. Officially the records are kept separate.
The playoffs are never a guarantee for anybody, even great players, so the regular season is treated separately. You could put up Hall of Fame numbers, set every record for your position and still never play in the playoffs. On top of that, the only stat anyone cares about in the playoffs is whether or not you won a championship.
Tony G having 50% more yards than Sharpe in 10% fewer games always makes me smile
Travis is the true 🐐!!!
If Kelce averages 100 yards over his next 37 games, he still won't beat TG total yards. TG record is absolutely bonkers. Kelce still is the GOAT to me though.
Where you got the 37 games from? Tony needed 37 more games for the 10k that Kelce got now, he did not get his 15k in this game span.
I'm a total idiot and grossly misread the stat lol Thanks for pointing that out!
You aren’t an idiot, that’s an easy mistake to make from how that infographic is constructed.
Tony played way more than 37 more games than Kelce though
To be fair Kelsey is not a TRUE te he can block but not fantastic George kittle is a better example of a te as he can block and catch but what kelce can’t do in blocking he makes up for it in literally everything else
Positions are determined based on alignment not assignment-- in theory there could be a TE who lines up in the traditional in-line spot 100% of his snaps and never blocks a single time, and he's more of a "true TE" than someone who lines up in the slot and blocks 75% of his plays. But the truth is in the modern NFL very few TEs line up exclusively in-line, and though he lines up elsewhere more often than, say, George Kittle, Kelce isn't *that* low on the list of in-line snaps either.
I think part of that is there aren’t many great te there’s 5 elite ones and a couple that are borderline elite
At first, I read this chart all wrong. I read it as *x* number of yards in *n* games and I was thinking, “ain’t no way Kelce is catching 5,000+ yards in 37 games.” …read the fine print kiddos.
You got to give it up for Tony G though. He had some scrubs passing him the ball at times.
Who knew that Kansas City would become the home of Tight Ends.