KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has piled up his accomplishments in the NFL, with eight Pro Bowl selections, seven consecutive seasons of being nominated for either the first or second-team Associated Press All-Pro Team, and seven consecutive seasons of over 1,000 receiving yards.
But instead of focusing on his legacy, Kelce is trying to create one for the tight end position as a whole.
“It’s a lot of gratitude to be settling a lot of these records for (the tight end position),” Kelce said. “But at the same time, I respect the guys who have set these records.”
Kelce wants to set a path and be an influence for the position like the past great tight ends like his Chiefs predecessor Tony Gonzalez, San Diego's/Los Angeles' Antonio Gates and New England's/Tampa Bay's Rob Gronkowski were influences for him.
“Gronk really motivated me and my career,” Kelce said. “He motivated me to try and be as dominant as he was on the field. Antonio Gates' route running was second to none. It seemed like he was open all the time, especially in the endzone. Those guys have helped change the game.”
Kelce believes there is still more potential for the tight end position to be better than it is now.
“I still don’t believe the tight end position is being used enough in all these offenses around the league,” Kelce said. “There’s so much talent, so many mismatches for a tight end. For a majority of the league and a majority that come down to Tight End U, there are a lot of mismatches on the field for a tight end that I hope NFL coaches can help showcase around the league like Andy Reid showcased mine.”
Kelce believes the personality that comes with playing the position is a reason why there's plenty of growing room.
"The tight end is usually a selfless guy that put the team first, that just likes having fun playing the game," Kelce said. "That's what you see out of (George Kittle, Greg Olsen and himself), all across the league and there's a lot of talent at the position."
Kelce was excited for the future of NFL tight ends, naming Atlanta's Kyle Pitts, Dallas' Jake Ferguson and New York Giants' Daniel Bellinger among those who could become the next great NFL tight ends.
“I’m excited to see how a few of these guys manifest in the next few years,” Kelce said. “There’s so much that goes into being a great tight end, you gotta have a great head coach calling plays and a great quarterback as well as a great supporting cast.”
He is also excited to watch his counterpart, Philadelphia's Dallas Goedert, Sunday, who he believes is currently one of the best tight ends in the NFL.
“He’s already one of the best in the league, they’re such so much talent (on the Eagles offense),” Kelce said. “He’s so controlled as an athlete, never seems like he’s off balance or out of control. Balance and control are two big parts of his game.”
Goedert's play has been so impressive that Kelce has admitted he has studied him to try and understand how he plays.
“I got so much love for him. He’s gonna take this tight end position to new levels throughout his career,” Kelce said.
Kelce credits “Tight End U,” a group get-together for all NFL tight ends during the offseason founded by himself, along with former tight end Greg Olsen and current San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, for influencing him to try and help the tight end move forward.
“The coolest part is being able to see everybody,” Kelce said. “Being able to hang out with all the tight ends around the league, to get that opportunity is special. The only time I’ve ever been in a room with that many NFL guys is a Pro Bowl or a rookie symposium.”
Kelce continued, “To be able to bounce around ideas, conversations to see how guys are going through different teams and different cities, their routines. To be able to meet everybody and shake their hands is probably the best part about Tight End U.”
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