At 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, Kelce has been an impact player since his early days in the league. After a successful but somewhat tumultuous college career with the Cincinnati Bearcats, Kelce slipped to the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft, where the Chiefs were waiting with the 63rd overall pick.
He barely played in his rookie season thanks to a series of lower-body injuries, but once he consistently saw the field in 2014, Kelce was off to the races. He led Kansas City with 862 receiving yards on 67 receptions, and he added five touchdowns on the impressive season.
Kelce’s star kept rising from there. In 2016, the blossoming tight end recorded his first season with 1,000+ receiving yards; his 1,125-yard total was a league-high for players at his position that season.
But it was the Chiefs’ addition of Patrick Mahomes, a generational quarterback with a remarkable connection to Kelce, that brought the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, native to new heights.
In 2020, Kelce broke the NFL single-season receiving record for tight ends with 1,416 yards, and in 2022, he set the record for most receptions by a Chiefs tight end in a single season with 110 catches.
Together, Mahomes and Kelce have recorded over 50 touchdown connections, making them one of the most threatening duos in NFL history.
On April 29, 2024, Kelce signed a two-year contract extension with the Chiefs worth $34.25 million, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, CNN reported, citing his representatives at Milk & Honey Sports.
Altogether, the nine-time Pro Bowler has already written himself a résumé that contends with the all-time great tight ends. He’s the only player at the position to finish seven seasons with 1,000+ receiving yards, and he did so in consecutive years.
Kelce is one of four tight ends in NFL history with 10,000 or more receiving yards, but perhaps, most notably, Kelce has won three Super Bowls and contributed significantly to the dynasty the franchise has built in Kansas City.
