Travis Kelce saw his streak of seven consecutive seasons with at least 1,000 yards come to an end in 2023. He followed that with the worst season of his NFL career in terms of receiving yards and touchdowns since his rookie year, when he played just one snap on special teams before suffering a season-ending injury.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end finished the year with 823 receiving yards and three touchdowns on 97 receptions. While he flirted with retirement during the offseason, he ultimately opted to return to the organization for a 13th season, as he did not want to end his career after a Super Bowl loss. Kelce recently revealed that reaching the 1,000-yard mark doesn’t have the same importance as it did earlier in his career.
Why Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Is No Longer Worried About the 1,000-Yard Mark
Kelce has long been considered one of the best tight ends in NFL history. While the 10-time Pro Bowler likely could have retired in the offseason and earned induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his desire to win another title brought him back to Kansas City.
He recently appeared on “Bussin’ With The Boys” with former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, where he was asked if his goals were to win a fourth Super Bowl, reach 1,000 yards, and set the Chiefs franchise record for combined rushing and receiving touchdowns. The seven-time All-Pro tight end responded:
“Yeah, with a focus on the Super Bowl. Yeah, that would be nice… I stopped throwing the yards in there. I just want to f**king get dubs. No, [it wasn’t because the streak ended]. I mean, I chose not to play that game. It just isn’t about the yards for me anymore. It used to be.
“I used to want to f**king get 1,000 yards every year. Every single year. That was the milestone that you were elite in the league, especially at the tight end position. But then I just – it’s more important to get dubs, and I feel like getting that message to the teammates was way more important.”
After the hosts noted that Kelce’s legacy is cemented regardless of his yard output this season, he said he has a bad taste in his mouth from how the Chiefs lost the Super Bowl. Kansas City suffered a 40-22 loss, where the final score was much closer than the game itself, to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVIII. They will look to win their third title in four seasons in 2025.