Travis Kelce’s place in the NFL’s Top 100 is starting to tell a familiar story, even if the number beside his name looks a little different this time around.
For the 2026 season, the Chiefs tight end checks in at No. 79 overall, the latest reminder that he’s still on the league’s radar after 13 years of production at a position he’s helped define. It’s also his 11th straight year appearing in the Top 100, which says plenty about the kind of run he’s put together.
Kelce’s 2025 season was still productive by any standard: 76 catches, 851 yards and five touchdowns. He did it in an offense that was efficient but predictable, one that never really had a true explosive element and was hit hard by injuries late in the year. Even with those limitations, Kelce remained one of the unit’s most reliable pieces.
The ranking itself, though, marks a notable slide. He was No. 37 a year ago, and that was already a drop from the stretch when he lived in the top 10. He’s been as high as No. 5 overall multiple times, a remarkable level for any tight end, much less one who has stayed near the top for so long.
Here’s how Kelce has shown up in the NFL Top 100 over the years:
2016 - No. 91
2017 - No. 26
2018 - No. 24
2019 - No. 21
2020 - No. 5
2021 - No. 18
2022 - No. 5
2023 - No. 5
2024 - No. 9
2025 - No. 37
2026 - No. 79
There’s also a case to be made that his numbers could tick upward if Kansas City’s offensive changes click. The Chiefs are leaning more on the run game with Eric Bieniemy back as offensive coordinator and reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III taking over as the lead back. Add in Rashee Rice entering a contract year with motivation and Xavier Worthy getting further removed from an injury-filled 2025 season, and Kelce could have more space to work than he’s had recently.
Whether this turns out to be his final season is still an open question, and a lot may depend on how the Chiefs perform. For now, though, Kelce remains one of the league’s best players and is still building a résumé that already looks Canton-worthy.
In Other News...
Travis Kelce Hit With Serious Off Field Twist At Brutal Time
Travis Kelces off-field calendar has been every bit as crowded as his football one, and now it includes a federal trademark fight tied to the Kansas City steakhouse he co-owns with Patrick Mahomes. The case centers on 1587 Prime, a name built around the pairs jersey numbers, and it has put the Chiefs star in the middle of a dispute with 1587 Sneakers over who gets to use that branding.
The timing adds another layer to an already awkward situation, with the legal back-and-forth arriving just as Kelces personal life has been in the spotlight for another reason. The sneaker company says the players can be sued in New York because of national advertising campaigns, while Kelce and Mahomes are pushing back on the case there, leaving the venue question as the next key wrinkle to watch. [Read more 🡒]
Sean Payton Nearly Pulled Off The Most Absurd Broncos Move Yet
Sean Payton has never been shy about thinking big in Denver, but a new report from ESPNs Seth Wickersham suggests one of his most audacious ideas never got past the drawing board. According to the report, Payton explored the possibility of bringing Bill Belichick to the Broncos in a temporary role, a strange arrangement built around Belichicks pursuit of the NFLs all-time coaching wins record before Payton would eventually step back in.
It is the kind of concept that sounds more like a late-night what-if than an actual staffing plan, and apparently it never advanced because it was simply too complicated. Still, it says plenty about the lengths some coaches will consider when legacy and history are in play, especially with Belichick now at North Carolina after his long run in New England. [Read more 🡒]
Travis Kelce Wedding Snub Has Chiefs Fans Eyeing One Friendship
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swifts wedding at Madison Square Garden was always going to draw a crowd, and the reported guest list lived up to the billing with roughly 1,000 people in attendance. The mix of celebrities and familiar football faces made it one of those events that quickly became a talking point well beyond the entertainment world, especially for Chiefs fans who follow every twist in Kelces off-field orbit as closely as they do his catches.
Will Comptons reaction has only added to the chatter around who made the cut and who did not, while Taylor Lewan also weighed in on the guest list and the possibility that some absences carried more meaning than others. For Kansas City, it is another reminder that Kelces personal life still has a way of spilling into the football conversation, and this latest round of speculation has people around the league looking hard at one friendship in particular. [Read more 🡒]