Travis Kelce isn’t done yet. But the rankings are getting tighter.
ESPN’s annual survey of coaches, scouts and executives dropped this week, and the Chiefs tight end landed at No. 10 among NFL tight ends. That’s a five-spot slide from his No. 5 ranking a year ago. For a 36-year-old who spent the last decade as the gold standard at his position, it’s the first real sign of slippage in how the league views him.
Not that anyone in Kansas City is panicking.
Kelce signed a new deal with the Chiefs in March 2026 after months of retirement speculation. He’s said publicly that the fire is still there. And the numbers from last season back him up: 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns, averaging 11.2 yards per reception. His 429 yards after the catch ranked third among all tight ends in this year’s evaluation pool. That’s not a guy who’s lost his edge.
The drops were an issue though. Nine of them. That’s a lot for a receiver who built his game on reliability. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler noted that Kelce is following the same blueprint as aging legends Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez — using route IQ and body positioning to create space when the speed is gone. He’s not a burner anymore. But he never really was.
“He’s far from a burner at age 36, but it’s hard to argue with his production,” Fowler wrote.
The question now is whether Kelce can hold off the younger wave. The tight end position is deeper than it’s ever been. Guys like Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride and Dalton Kincaid are taking snaps and attention. They’re faster, cheaper and younger. But Kelce still has something most of them don’t: a decade of chemistry with Patrick Mahomes and a postseason résumé that puts him in a different conversation entirely.
He’ll be 37 when the 2026 season kicks off. That’s ancient for a skill player in the NFL. But if last year proved anything, it’s that Kelce can still win on third down and make a defense pay for losing him in coverage. The ranking says he’s barely top-10. The tape says he’s still a problem.
And if the Chiefs make another playoff run, nobody will be asking where he ranks on a list.
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