Chargers Rival Nears All-Time Receiving Yards Record Held by Legendary Bolt TE

Always a tough cover for LA's defense.

Coming off of a career season where he won another Super Bowl championship with Kansas City, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is nearing another milestone in an already stellar Hall of Fame resume. 

Inching closer to other legends at the position, Kelce is approaching a receiving yards record set by a fellow divisional legend and could break it in the next year or two should he remain healthy. 

LEGENDARY: Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is only 1,498 yards away from passing #Chargers legend Antonio Gates for third all-time in receiving yards among tight ends with 11,842 yards.

Kelce: 144 games
Gates: 236 games

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Kelce continues to make a strong to… pic.twitter.com/MQ3prnSnIJ

— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) September 3, 2023

Accomplishing the feat in under 50 more games would be quite the feat for possibly the biggest thorn in the Chargers' side for the past half-decade. 

Since being drafted in 2013, Kelce has established himself as one of the best tight ends of all time alongside Gates, with numerous receiving records at the position after the Chargers' red zone magnet re-established what a tight end could do in an offense. 

First, with Alex Smith, Kelce famously led a receiving core with zero wide receivers scoring a touchdown on the year in his initial healthy year for the franchise. 

Pairing alongside running back Jamaal Charles, Kelce and Smith led numerous playoff contenders for a team that was near the cellar for multiple years to start the decade. 

Since Patrick Mahomes has become the starter in Kansas City, Kelce has taken his game to another level. 

Nearly impossible to cover, the Chargers know all too well that the pairing of Mahomes and Kelce have consistently beaten them in their divisional matchups in recent years. 

Just last season at Sofi Stadium, Kelce torched the Bolts' defense for two touchdowns, including the go-ahead score that would eventually be the game-winner for the Chiefs. 

Gates was incredible in his time with Philip Rivers, and the LA legend will enter the team's Hall of Fame later this season, but as of now, Kelce is knocking on the door for his and many other positional titans' records in his own Hall of Fame pursuit.