Greg Olsen Makes Prediction About KC Chiefs' Travis Kelce’s GOAT TE Case
As the Kansas City Chiefs gear up to defend their Super Bowl LVII title, they'll undoubtedly be relying on all-world tight end Travis Kelce to keep putting up big numbers moving forward. Even as the former third-round pick is set to turn 34 in October, he's coming off perhaps the most impressive season of his career.
Starting all 17 regular-season games for the Chiefs in 2022-23, Kelce hauled in 110 passes on 152 targets for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. With the exception of his yardage total, all of those figures were career-high marks for the future Hall of Fame tight end. Kelce was a first-team All-Pro for the fourth time in his career, also making the Pro Bowl for the eighth year in a row. He then played a critical role during Kansas City's playoff run, recording 27 catches for 257 yards and another four touchdowns in just three games.
Despite Kelce continuing to age, he isn't showing many — if any — signs of slowing down. The football world knows that, and it isn't stopping anyone from opining on his rank among the NFL's all-time greats at the position. In a recent appearance on USA TODAY's Sports Seriously show, longtime NFL tight end and current broadcaster Greg Olsen chimed in on Kelce's current ranking and future potential to climb even further:
"Yeah, he's on the Mount Rushmore for sure. He's in that top three or four. I said this last year, actually, on a live broadcast of one of his games: I think another couple of years — another year or two of the production that he's had over these last, call it, seven or eight — I never thought in a million years [that] anyone would be able to catch Tony Gonzalez. I think Tony's longevity, in conjunction with his productivity, just put his numbers so out there.
"I think when you factor in Travis's consistency, his production of where he is now on the all-time rankings and now you throw in [that] he's won multiple Super Bowls, holds multiple playoff records, multiple postseason records... he's just as well-rounded productivity-wise as any player who's ever played the position. So I think in another year or two, I think we could be having the conversation that Travis sits atop that whole list, which is saying a lot when you start thinking of some of the names that have played tight end over the years."
Kelce is building a case for "GOAT" status, although his all-time rankings still leave just a bit to be desired. He currently sits fourth in receiving yards for tight ends and is fourth and sixth in receptions and touchdowns, respectively. With that said, Kelce averages more receiving yards per game than any tight end ever and is right up there with some of the best in touchdowns scored per outing. As he plays more games, the statistical trends indicate that the eye test and numbers will both keep jumping off the page.
As Olsen mentioned, this could merely be a matter of Kelce finishing up what is already a historically great career with some good production over the next few years. If he can do that, he may not leave a ton of room for interpretation. Most folks already have Kelce in their top four at the position, and all he can do is help that subjective ranking in the coming years.
