Chiefs TE Travis Kelce just got more motivation to prove doubters wrong in 2025 after being left off prestigious list
ESPN shows no respect to Kelce
At 35 years old and entering his 13th NFL season, many are beginning to discount the caliber of player Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is.
It is fair to a certain degree. His 823 receiving yards in 2024 were the lowest of his career, as were his three touchdowns and 8.5 yards per reception average. However, Kelce he still ranked third among all TEs in receptions with 97, and his yardage total was the fifth-most.
In what could be his final season, Kelce has slimmed down a bit in order to be faster and more explosive in 2025. He looked rejuvenated during training camp and preseason, and has never been sharper mentally.
However, it appears that the folks at ESPN don’t believe that Kelce is still one of the premier TEs in the league. While predicting who the NFL’s top 100 players will be in 2025, Kelce was left off of the list.
Keep in mind that ESPN’s list is a projection for the 2025 season, differing from the NFL’s Top 100 Players list that is based off of performances in 2024. Five Chiefs players did make the cut — RG Trey Smith, CB Trent McDuffie, C Creed Humphrey, DT Chris Jones, and QB Patrick Mahomes, who took the No. 1 overall spot.
As far as TEs go, Sam LaPorta, Trey McBride, George Kittle, and Brock Bowers made the list. LaPorta making it over Kelce definitely raises some eyebrows, as Kelce recorded 37 more receptions and 97 more yards. Youth is probably the big factor here, believing the 24-year-old LaPorta is more likely to bounce back this season.
At this stage of his career, it’s about Kelce being effective more so than productive. K.C. has plenty of weapons at WR, and Noah Gray and Robert Tonyan are very good backup TEs. The Chiefs don’t need to rely on Kelce to put up huge numbers, and it would be to their benefit to keep him fresh for when it matters the most late in the season.
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