Travis Kelce

Travis Michael Kelce (born October 5, 1989) is an American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).

Kelce was born on October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio.

His father, Ed Kelce, is a sales representative in the steel industry, and his mother, Donna, is a former bank executive.

Kelce's older brother Jason played center for the Philadelphia Eagles for 13 seasons.

Kelce attended Cleveland Heights High School in his hometown of Cleveland Heights, Ohio, where he played football, basketball, and baseball.

He was a three-year letter winner as quarterback for the Tigers.

As a senior in 2007, he ran for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and threw for 1,523 yards, 21 touchdowns, and eight interceptions.

His 2,539 yards of total offense garnered him All-Lake Erie League honors.

Considered a two-star recruit by Rivals.com, Kelce accepted a scholarship offer from the University of Cincinnati over offers from Akron, Eastern Michigan, and Miami (OH).

He joined his brother, Jason Kelce, who was the starting left guard for the Bearcats.

After redshirting in 2008, he appeared in 11 games in 2009, playing at tight end and quarterback out of the Wildcat formation.

He tallied eight rushes for 47 yards and two touchdowns and had one reception for three yards.

Kelce was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team.

During the 2023 season, he surpassed Jerry Rice in career playoff receptions en route to Super Bowl LVIII, his fourth Super Bowl appearance in five seasons.

Outside of football, Kelce has appeared on reality and scripted television and in advertisements.

He co-hosts the podcast New Heights with his brother Jason, covering topics from football to popular culture.

Kelce's relationship with singer-songwriter Taylor Swift has drawn massive media coverage and stimulated viewership and revenue for his team and its league.

He was suspended for the 2010 season after testing positive for marijuana, a violation of team rules.

Returning for the 2011 season, he played tight end, recording 13 catches totaling 150 yards and two touchdowns.

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.

In 2012, his last collegiate season, he set personal season highs in receptions (45), receiving yards (722), yards per receptions (16.0), and receiving touchdowns (8).

He was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft and later won Super Bowls LIV, LVII, and LVIII with the team.

He played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats.

Considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Kelce is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro, with 4 first-team and 3 second-team selections.

He holds the NFL records for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end: seven.

Kelce earned first-team all-conference honors and in March 2013, was named the College Football Performance Awards Tight End of the Year.

Kelce graduated in 2022 with a Bachelor of Interdisciplinary Studies degree.

Kelce was drafted 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.

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.

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".

He holds the record for most receiving yards by a tight end in a single season with 1,416 in 2020, despite playing in only 15 games.

During the 2022 season, Kelce became the fifth NFL tight end to reach 10,000 career receiving yards and reached the milestone faster than any tight end in NFL history.