Does Travis Kelce Belong in the Hall of Fame?
There are currently nine tight ends that have been elected to the Hall of Fame, the most recent two being Shannon Sharpe (2011) and Tony Gonzalez (2019). The tight end position is not a position that frequently gets Hall of Fame nods considering there are 32 running back/full backs and 29 wide receivers enshrined in Canton. However, Travis Kelce deserves to be in the Hall of Fame when his career is over.
Kelce has arguably been the best tight end in the NFL over the past five years. It is Kelce’s 10th year in the league, and he has eight Pro Bowl selections to his name, alongside four first-team All-Pro selections. Kelce has 814 receptions for 10,344 yards and 69 touchdowns in his career.
These career stats put him near the top of any all-time tight end list. At the position, Kelce is fourth all-time in receiving yards, fourth in receptions and sixth in reception touchdowns. I think he has the career statistics and accolades of a player that deserves to be enshrined in Canton.
He does have two major advantages compared to other tight ends. Kelce is playing in the best era ever for tight ends due to the NFL being an extremely pass-heavy league. He is also in the perfect situation, playing with future Hall of Fame quarterback Patrick Mahomes under the offensive tutelage of Andy Reid.
Kelce has delivered like very few tight ends have in their careers. He is truly an incredible talent, and he continues to be the top dog when it comes to the tight end position.
The final case I will make for Kelce’s Hall of Fame resume is his postseason stats.
He has one Super Bowl ring which is not a necessity for the tight end position, but I feel still helps his case. Come the end of this year’s playoffs, he could also lead all tight ends in postseason receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Travis Kelce has 1,389 receptions yards, 120 receptions and 14 reception touchdowns up to this point in his postseason career. He has the chance to increase these numbers and win another Super Bowl if the Kansas City Chiefs can defeat the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.
There is no doubt that Travis Kelce is one of the greatest tight ends to ever play. Furthermore, I think his career is about as Hall of Fame as it gets for a tight end.
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