Travis Kelce had a phenomenal 2020 season. In just 15 games, Kelce caught 105 passes for 1,416 yards, setting the single-season record for a tight end, and added eight touchdowns for good measure. It was his fifth consecutive 1,000-plus-yard receiving season, giving him the most such seasons for any tight end in NFL history. For his efforts, Kelce was named to his sixth consecutive Pro Bowl and his fifth straight All-Pro team. The fans and the Associated Press obviously are not the only ones who have been impressed with Kelce's performance. He also has a fan in Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski -- arguably the best tight end in the history of football. During his pre-Super Bowl media session on Monday, Gronk let on that he believes Kelce is "the best player on the Chiefs' offense."
That's tremendously high praise for the star tight end, considering he plays on the same unit as Patrick Mahomes and Tyreek Hill. But Gronk didn't stop there. "One thing that's very intriguing about Travis Kelce, and I've never really seen this with any other player in the NFL ever before, is that Kelce gets better every single year that I've seen him play in the NFL," Gronkowski added, and he's correct.
Take a look at the progression of Kelce's season-long receiving lines and try to make the argument that he hasn't gotten better every single year. You can't do it.
| Year | Gms | Tgt | Rec | Yds | Yds/Rec | TD | 1D |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 2014 | 16 | 87 | 67 | 862 | 12.9 | 5 | 46 |
| 2015 | 16 | 103 | 72 | 875 | 12.2 | 5 | 40 |
| 2016 | 16 | 117 | 85 | 1125 | 13.2 | 4 | 55 |
| 2017 | 15 | 122 | 83 | 1038 | 12.5 | 8 | 53 |
| 2018 | 16 | 150 | 103 | 1336 | 13.0 | 10 | 75 |
| 2019 | 16 | 136 | 97 | 1229 | 12.7 | 5 | 65 |
| 2020 | 15 | 145 | 105 | 1416 | 13.5 | 11 | 79 |
Kelce's also just 31 years old, so he's probably not nearly done yet. He's been able to remain healthy for the last seven seasons, and if he can do that for the next few years, he's probably going to write his name into the record books a few more times. He's well on his way to joining Gronk as one of the best tight ends ever to play the game.
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