2013 season Kelce was selected by the
Kansas City Chiefs in the third round (63rd pick overall) of the
2013 NFL draft. The Chiefs had hired
Andy Reid as their new head coach during the off-season. Reid was familiar with Kelce, having drafted and coached his brother,
Jason Kelce, in 2011 during his time as the head coach of the Eagles. Reid believed Kelce to be a first round talent but had reservations due to his suspension in college; Jason spoke with Reid and vouched that Travis would stay out of trouble if drafted. On June 6, 2013, the Chiefs signed Kelce to a four-year, $3.12 million rookie contract that also included a signing bonus of $703,304. Kelce injured his knee in the preseason. The injury was later diagnosed as a bone bruise. After being limited the first two weeks of the season due to the injury and being inactive the next three games, Kelce was placed on injured reserve on October 12, 2013, after having a microfracture surgery performed on his knee. He only played one snap, on special teams in the Chiefs' Week 2 game against the
Dallas Cowboys.
2014 season During Week 3 against the
Miami Dolphins, Kelce recorded his first NFL touchdown on a 20-yard reception from quarterback
Alex Smith. On November 30, he was fined $11,025 for "unsportsmanlike conduct" during a 29–16 loss to the
Denver Broncos. Kelce made an inappropriate hand gesture and motion at Broncos linebacker
Von Miller. Chiefs' head coach Andy Reid later called this "immature". In the next game against the
Arizona Cardinals, Kelce had seven receptions for 110 yards for his first NFL game with over 100 receiving yards. In the regular-season finale against the
San Diego Chargers, he had an offensive fumble recovery for a touchdown in the 19–7 victory. Kelce was the Chiefs' leading receiver during the 2014 season, totaling 862 yards off 67 receptions.
2015 season Kelce began the 2015 season with his first NFL multiple touchdown game, with six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–20 victory over the
Houston Texans. It was his only 100-plus-yard game, but he had at least one reception in all 16 games, and was ranked a top-five tight end by ESPN. He started all 16 regular season games and recorded 72 catches for 875 yards and five touchdowns, earning his way to his first
Pro Bowl. The Chiefs finished the regular season with an 11–5 record and made the playoffs. In his first NFL playoff game, Kelce had eight receptions for 128 yards in a 30–0
Wild Card Round victory over the Texans. In the
Divisional Round against the
New England Patriots, Kelce had six receptions for 23 yards as the Chiefs lost 27–20. He was ranked 91st by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.
2016 season On January 29, 2016, Kelce signed a five-year, $46 million contract extension. He was ranked 91st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2016. In the next game against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, he was ejected after receiving two unsportsmanlike conduct penalties after arguing with two officials over not having a pass interference penalty called. The second resulted from him sarcastically throwing his towel at field judge Mike Weatherford in a flagging motion due to being upset about the first penalty. He was later fined $24,309 for his outburst. During Week 13 against the
Atlanta Falcons, he had eight receptions for 140 yards. In the next game, Kelce recorded 101 receiving yards against the
Oakland Raiders, his fourth consecutive game topping 100. He joined
Jimmy Graham and former Chiefs tight end
Tony Gonzalez as the only NFL tight ends ever to do so. In a Christmas Day win over the Broncos, Kelce had career bests of 11 receptions for 160 yards and a career-long 80-yard touchdown on a screen pass. His 1,125 receiving yards led the league among tight ends and his 85 receptions were second among tight ends behind
Dennis Pitta of the
Baltimore Ravens. Kelce's 634 yards after the catch also led all NFL tight ends. He was named as a starter in his second career Pro Bowl, held on December 20, 2016. He was also named First-team
All-Pro. He was ranked 26th by his fellow players, and second among tight ends, on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2017. The Chiefs finished atop the
AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye in the playoffs. In the
Divisional Round against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce had five receptions for 77 yards in the 18–16 loss.
2017 season During Week 2 against the Eagles, Kelce had eight receptions for 103 yards and a touchdown in the 27–20 victory. After just one reception for one yard in Week 3 against the
Los Angeles Chargers, Kelce recorded seven receptions for 111 yards and a touchdown in Week 4 against the
Washington Redskins followed by eight for 98 in Week 5 against the Texans. During Week 8, Kelce had seven receptions for 133 yards to pass
Zach Ertz as the NFL's leading tight end in both categories, along with a touchdown. During Week 13 against the
New York Jets, Kelce opened the game with spectacular fashion, scoring two receiving touchdowns on 90 receiving yards in the first 2 minutes and 46 seconds of regulation. He finished the game with 94 receiving yards on four receptions in the 38–31 loss. On December 19, 2017, Kelce was named to his third straight Pro Bowl. Kelce finished the season with a career-high eight receiving touchdowns. He finished second among tight ends with 1,038 receiving yards, only trailing Gronkowski's 1,084 receiving yards. He was ranked 24th by his peers on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018. The 10–6 Chiefs entered the
Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the
Tennessee Titans, where Kelce finished with four receptions for 66 yards and a touchdown in the 21–22 defeat. He was not able to finish the game as he suffered a concussion in the first half on a hit to his helmet.
2018 season In the 2018 season, Kelce benefited from the rise of new quarterback
Patrick Mahomes, who was named
NFL MVP at the end of the season. After being held to a lone reception for six yards in the season opener against the Chargers, he rebounded with seven receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 2 road victory over the Steelers. In two of the next three games, he was able to reach 100 receiving yards against the
San Francisco 49ers and the Jaguars. He added 99 yards and two touchdowns in a Week 9 win over the
Cleveland Browns, and went into the Week 12 bye with 10 receptions for 127 yards and a touchdown in
an offensively spectacular 54–51 loss to the
Los Angeles Rams. In the Week 13 win over the Raiders, Kelce had career-bests of 12 receptions and 168 yards, including two short touchdowns in the first half. At this point, he was well on his way to an NFL record, but his production tapered off; over the final four weeks, Kelce averaged six receptions for 63.5 yards and had only one touchdown reception. Kelce ended the regular season at 10th in the NFL in receptions with 103 and receiving yards with 1,336, and sixth in receiving touchdowns with 10. He was named to the
2018 Pro Bowl and was named first-team All-Pro. The Chiefs finished atop the AFC West with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye. In the
Divisional Round against the Colts, he had seven receptions for 108 yards in the 31–13 victory. In the
AFC Championship against the Patriots, he had three receptions for 23 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 37–31 overtime loss. He was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2019 season: First Super Bowl win During Week 2 against the Raiders, Kelce caught seven passes for 107 yards and a touchdown of the season as the Chiefs won by a score of 28–10. Despite injuries to Patrick Mahomes and just two touchdowns, at the midpoint of the season Kelce led all tight ends and Chiefs players in receiving yards with 604. During Week 11 against the Chargers on
Monday Night Football in Mexico, Kelce caught seven passes for 92 yards and a touchdown in the 24–17 win. During Week 14 against the Patriots, Kelce caught seven passes for 66 yards and rushed the ball once for a one-yard touchdown during the 23–16 road victory. In the next game against the Broncos, Kelce finished with 11 catches for 142 receiving yards as the Chiefs won 23–3. In the next game against the
Chicago Bears on
Sunday Night Football, he caught eight passes for 74 yards and a touchdown in the 26–3 win. During the game, he became the fastest tight end in NFL history to record 500 career receptions. 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 was named to his fifth Pro Bowl for his 2019 season. In the
Divisional Round against the Texans, the Chiefs began the game with a 24–0 deficit. The Chiefs then went on a 51–7 run, including 41 unanswered points, to win 51–31. After a drop on third down on the Chiefs first drive that would have been a first down if it had been caught, Kelce caught 10 passes for 134 yards and three touchdowns (all in the second quarter) as he helped lead the Chiefs to their second consecutive conference championship game. In the
AFC Championship Game against the Titans, Kelce caught three passes for 30 yards during the 35–24 win. In
Super Bowl LIV against the
San Francisco 49ers, Kelce caught six passes for 43 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown and had one carry for two rushing yards during the 31–20 win. He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2020.
2020 season Following the release of long-time Chiefs punter
Dustin Colquitt in the offseason, Kelce became tied with
Anthony Sherman and fellow 2013 draftee
Eric Fisher as the team's longest tenured members. On August 14, 2020, Kelce signed a four-year, $57 million contract extension with the Chiefs through the 2025 season. In Week 6, he caught two touchdowns in a 26–17 victory over the
Buffalo Bills. In Week 8 against the Jets, Kelce dunked the ball through the goal posts after scoring a touchdown, paying homage to former Chiefs tight end
Tony Gonzalez. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct and was fined $12,500. In Week 9, against the
Carolina Panthers, he had ten receptions for 159 receiving yards in the 33–31 victory. In Week 11 against the
Las Vegas Raiders on
Sunday Night Football, Kelce recorded eight catches for 127 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in a 35–31 win. In Week 13 against the Broncos on
Sunday Night Football, he caught eight passes for 136 yards and a touchdown during the 22–16 win. In the following game against the Dolphins, he again posted eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in a 33–27 victory. In Week 16, Kelce became the first tight end with two 100-catch seasons. 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). He was named to his sixth Pro Bowl and earned First-team All-Pro honors. In the
Divisional Round of the playoffs against the Browns, Kelce caught eight passes for 109 yards and a touchdown during the 22–17 win. In the
AFC Championship against the Bills, Kelce recorded 13 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns in a 38–24 win to advance to
Super Bowl LV. In the Super Bowl, he caught 10 passes for 133 yards—a record for receiving yards by a tight end in the championship game—but the Chiefs did not score a touchdown in the 31–9 loss to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2021.
2021 season in 2021 After Fisher was released and Sherman retired in the offseason, Kelce became the longest-tenured member of the Chiefs. In the Chiefs' week-15 game against the Chargers, Kelce set a career high for receiving yards in a game with 191 yards. He also caught two touchdowns, including the game-winning 34-yard touchdown in overtime. Kelce was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. The game also put him over 1,000 yards for the season, his NFL record (among tight ends) extending sixth consecutive 1,000-yard season. It also extended Kelce's record for most 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end with six. He was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on December 20, 2021. Kelce was activated on December 25, 2021. However, due to NFL protocols for
COVID-19, since he tested positive for the virus and did not test negative before the day of the game, he was ruled out for the Chiefs' week 16 game against the Steelers. It was the first game Kelce had missed due to injury or illness since his rookie season. In the regular season-ending game against the Broncos, Kelce became the fastest tight end in NFL history to reach 9,000 career yards in just 127 games, a record also previously held by Gronkowski with 140 games. He finished the 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 the
Wild Card Round against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce had five receptions for 108 yards and a receiving touchdown to go along with a two-yard touchdown pass to
Byron Pringle in the 42–21 victory. In the
Divisional Round against the Bills, he had eight receptions for 96 yards and the game-winning touchdown in the 42–36 overtime victory. Kelce was wearing an
NFL Films microphone for the game, and audio footage from the two offensive plays of the 13-second drive revealed that Kelce instructed
Tyreek Hill to run the route which led to the success of the first completion, and revealed him suggesting to Mahomes that he might improvise his own route on the second offensive play if the Bills' defensive scheme didn't change. Prior to the snap, Mahomes realized Kelce's suggested improvised route would work and shouted "Do it, Kelce!", before finding his tight-end for a completion of 25 yards. In the
AFC Championship against the
Cincinnati Bengals, he had 10 receptions for 95 yards and a touchdown in the 27–24 overtime loss. He was ranked tenth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 season: Second Super Bowl win in 2023 In Week 5, Kelce had four receiving touchdowns in the 30–29 victory over the Raiders. Kelce tied the franchise record for receiving touchdowns in a game. In the Chiefs' Week 11 game against the 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. He finished the 2022 season with 110 receptions for 1,338 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns. Kelce set a single-game NFL postseason record for a tight end with 14 receptions in a 27–20 victory over the Jaguars in the
Divisional Round. He scored two receiving touchdowns in the game. Kelce and the Chiefs appeared in
Super Bowl LVII against the Eagles. Kelce's brother Jason played for the Eagles, making it the first Super Bowl to feature two brothers as players on opposing teams. Kelce caught six passes for 81 yards and a touchdown as the Chiefs beat the Eagles 38–35 to win his second
Super Bowl. He was ranked fifth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
2023 season: Third Super Bowl win Kelce was inactive for the Chiefs' game against the
Detroit Lions due to a knee injury he suffered earlier in the week. It was his first game missed due to an injury since his rookie season. Kelce made his season debut the following week against the Jaguars. In the Chiefs' week 7 game against the Chargers, Kelce tied a career high with 12 receptions. He also had 179 receiving yards, the second highest of his career. In the Chiefs' Week 9 game against the Dolphins, he broke the Chiefs franchise record for career receiving yards. Kelce finished the regular season with 984 receiving yards on 93 receptions and five touchdowns. He elected to not play in the Chiefs' Week 18 matchup against the
Los Angeles Chargers, ending his NFL-record streak of seven consecutive seasons to finish with 1,000 receiving yards. In the Divisional Round victory over the Bills, Kelce had two receiving touchdowns. Kelce, along with Mahomes, broke the record for most career touchdowns in the playoffs for a quarterback/receiver duo. In the AFC Championship Game victory against the top-seeded Baltimore Ravens, Kelce caught 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown, surpassing
Jerry Rice for most playoff receptions and tying Rice for first in 100+ receiving yard games. The victory marked Kelce's fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons. The Chiefs became the first team to repeat as Super Bowl champions since the
New England Patriots accomplished the feat in the 2003 and 2004 seasons. During the game, following a fumble by Chiefs running back
Isiah Pacheco when Kelce was not on the field, he was shown screaming at the Chiefs' head coach
Andy Reid. The incident drew criticism, for which Kelce later apologized through his podcast. He was ranked ninth by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2024.
2024 season On April 29, 2024, Kelce signed a two-year extension with the Chiefs for a reported $34.25 million, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. Kelce started the season slow with just eight catches for 69 yards in the team's first three games. On December 8, Kelce reached 12,000 career receiving yards in a 19–17 win over the
Los Angeles Chargers. He became the fastest tight end in NFL history to achieve this, doing so in 172 games. On
Christmas Day against the
Pittsburgh Steelers, Kelce achieved his 1,000th career reception and became the Chiefs' leader in receiving touchdowns, surpassing the previous record set by Tony Gonzalez of 77. In the 2024 season, Kelce finished with 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns. In the
Divisional Round against the Texans, he had seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown in the 23–14 win. In the
AFC Championship, Kelce finished with two catches for 19 yards, but received a $11,255 fine for unsportsmanlike conduct. In
Super Bowl LIX against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce had four catches for 39 yards; in doing so, Kelce set a new NFL record for most career Super Bowl receptions with 35, eclipsing the previous record of 33 held by
Jerry Rice. However, the Chiefs lost to the Eagles by a score of 40–22, denying Kelce and the team a third consecutive championship. After Super Bowl LIX, Kelce stated that he would "take some time" and decide whether or not he would retire or continue playing football.
2025 season Kelce announced on February 27, 2025, that he would play in the
2025 season in his final year under contract with Kansas City. On October 25, 2025, in a game against the
Denver Broncos, Kelce broke the franchise record for total touchdowns with his eighty-fourth overall, putting the Chiefs ahead before they lost on a last-second field goal by
Wil Lutz. He had nine total catches for 91 yards in the game. He finished the 2025 season with 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns.
2026 season On March 9, 2026, Kelce agreed to a one-year contract worth $12 million with a maximum value of $15 million. Other teams were interested in signing Kelce, but he voiced his preference to return to the Chiefs now that the team re-hired
Eric Bieniemy as offensive coordinator as well as his longtime familiarity with the franchise. The contract was later altered and extended to three years, worth $54.7 million. ==Career statistics==