Travis Kelce sets yards after catch record
Travis Kelce became the NFL career leader in post-catch yardage tracked since at least 1992 during Kansas City’s September 20 victory over Indianapolis. The milestone came in his 14th season with the Chiefs.
Kansas City won 33-30 in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium and improved to 2-0. Kelce’s new mark added another league record to a career already filled with major regular-season receiving milestones.
Travis Kelce leads Indianapolis win
Travis Kelce posted his first 100-yard receiving game of 2026 against Indianapolis, catching nine passes on 11 targets for 101 yards. His total led every Kansas City receiver in the overtime win.
Patrick Mahomes completed 32 of 47 passes for 382 yards and three touchdowns. Kelce caught a 13-yard scoring pass in the first quarter, giving Kansas City its first touchdown of the game.
Travis Kelce passes Marshall Faulk
Travis Kelce moved past Marshall Faulk for the NFL record in yards after catch, a statistic tracked since at least 1992. Kansas City listed the new career total at 6,287 following Indianapolis.
The statistic counts only yardage gained after a completed reception, not total receiving yards. That distinction means the 6,287 figure reflects what Kelce accumulated after securing passes across his 14-season career.
Travis Kelce did not know he was close
Travis Kelce said on the New Heights podcast that he had no idea he was close to the record. He explained that he did not know he ranked among the league leaders.
Kelce called the accomplishment one of the coolest of his career. He also mentioned Marshall Faulk, Terrell Owens, and Larry Fitzgerald while describing what it meant to him to share a statistical category with those players.
Travis Kelce reaches record as tight end
Travis Kelce reached the top of a category previously led by Marshall Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Fame running back. He finished his career with 12,279 rushing yards and 6,875 receiving yards.
Kelce reached the same record from tight end, where players regularly block as well as catch passes. He has played all 14 NFL seasons with Kansas City, building the mark through a different offensive role.
Travis Kelce leads list across positions
Travis Kelce leads the NFL list for yards after catch, followed by Marshall Faulk, Larry Centers, Terrell Owens, Steve Smith, and Larry Fitzgerald. Those five players occupied the next positions after he moved into first.
Kelce has personal memories tied to that group. He recalled watching Owens create long gains from short passes and attending a college game featuring Fitzgerald while his brother Jason was being recruited by Pittsburgh.
Travis Kelce opens 2026 with 172 yards
Travis Kelce opened 2026 with 12 catches for 172 yards and one touchdown through Kansas City’s first two games. Nine receptions gained first downs, equal to 75% of his total catches.
Kelce averaged 14.3 yards per catch across victories over Denver and Indianapolis. His longest reception covered 59 yards in the season opener, compared with an 18-yard high against the Colts.
Travis Kelce passes Jason Witten
Travis Kelce passed Jason Witten for second place in NFL receiving yards by a tight end in the September 14 opener against Denver, six days before setting the yards after catch record.
Kelce entered the season opener with 13,002 receiving yards and needed 45 more to pass Witten’s 13,046. A 59-yard reception from Patrick Mahomes moved him into second place during the third quarter.
Travis Kelce extends Chiefs records
Travis Kelce has 1,092 regular-season receptions, 13,174 receiving yards, and 83 touchdowns through two games in 2026. Those totals place him among Kansas City’s leading career pass catchers in several categories.
Kelce also owns the Chiefs’ record for consecutive games with a reception. His streak reached 191 contests by the end of 2025, moving well beyond Tony Gonzalez’s previous Kansas City mark of 131.
Travis Kelce reaches 100 yards again
Travis Kelce recorded his 37th game with at least 100 receiving yards since 2016 during the Indianapolis victory. Only Davante Adams and Stefon Diggs have more such performances over that span.
Adams leads with 46 such games over the period, followed by Diggs at 39 and Kelce at 37. The comparison places a tight end beside two wide receivers in the same statistical group.
Fun fact: Before becoming an elite NFL tight end, Travis Kelce played quarterback and once said he dreamed of being a dual-threat passer like Josh Allen.
Travis Kelce builds on 2025 production
Travis Kelce entered 2026 after leading Kansas City with 76 receptions, 851 receiving yards, and five touchdowns during the 2025 season. The Chiefs finished 6-11 and did not reach the postseason.
His 2025 total extended a streak to 12 consecutive seasons with at least 800 receiving yards. That run matched Jerry Rice for the longest such stretch by any player in NFL history.
Travis Kelce signs new contract
Travis Kelce returned for a 14th Kansas City season under a three-year contract worth $54.735 million. The agreement provides $12 million for 2026 and keeps him with the only NFL franchise he has represented.
Incentives can raise the contract’s maximum value to $57.735 million. Kansas City originally selected Kelce 63rd in the 2013 NFL Draft, beginning a career that has remained with the Chiefs since then.
CeeDee Lamb was dropped from the Cowboys’ captain group for 2026, adding context to how Dallas is reshaping its leadership structure and distributing responsibility across the roster entering the new season.
Travis Kelce begins two road games
Travis Kelce and Kansas City are scheduled to visit Miami on September 27 before traveling to Las Vegas on October 4. The Chiefs have a bye before hosting the Los Angeles Chargers on October 18.
Additional post-reception yardage in future games can extend Kelce’s NFL record. A completed pass alone does not guarantee an increase because only movement after the reception adds to that total.
“Seriously. Retire,” fans turn on Jerry Jones after latest remarks, examining the reaction to his comments and the wider pressure surrounding the Dallas Cowboys owner.
Travis Kelce reached the top of an NFL record list without knowing he was close. Which part of his career achievement surprised you most? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
This slideshow was made with AI assistance and human editing.
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