Chiefs’ Travis Kelce takes hit in ESPN’s 2026 NFL tight end rankings amid retirement rumors

The most anticipated and widely discussed wedding in the United States is now over, and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce‘s focus shifts to the 2026 NFL season.

According to recent rumors, this could be Kelce’s final season in the NFL. However, the future Chiefs Hall of Famer and Ring of Honor inductee is set to take the field for at least one more year.

With 65 days remaining until the start of the 2026 season, ESPN released its Top 10 NFL tight end rankings on July 10. Kelce landed surprisingly low, coming in at No. 10.

ESPN ranked Travis Kelce at 10, but why?

First of all, the first nine tight ends in the ESPN’s list of top 10 TEs are mostly from the NFC. The list goes on like this.

1. Brock Bowers (Las Vegas Raiders)
2. Trey McBride (Arizona Cardinals)
3. George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers)
4. Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)
5. Tyler Warren (Indianapolis Colts)
6. Tucker Kraft (Green Bay Packers)
7. Colston Loveland (Chicago Bears)
8. Kyle Pitts Sr. (Atlanta Falcons)
9. Mark Andrews (Baltimore Ravens)
10. Travis Kelce.

While delivering the report, ESPN clearly stated that the rankings are based on the ballot voting of 70 voters, each having a top-10 ranking list. The voters were mainly NFL executives, analysts, and scouts.

Describing why Kelce was ranked 10th, an NFC personnel evaluator said, “He’s still the ageless wonder at the position.” The executive added, “His elite route savvy, body control and instincts allow him to still compete at a high level, despite his getting up in age.”

In the evaluation, the report says, “Kelce is utilizing the same skills other great tight ends — Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez — did while prolonging their careers: Use route savvy to wiggle your way for first downs, hopefully with room to run.”

Now, let’s take a closer look. If we are talking about Kelce’s last five seasons, the 2024 and 2025 falls were not-so-great for him. I did not say that they were the worst, but they were not at the par level that the football fans used to see.

In the 2021 and 2022 seasons, he averaged 12.2 yards per target/reception while covering 1,125 and 1,338 yards, respectively. He also scored a total of 21 touchdowns in these two years. But after that, his average ranged from 8.5 to 11.2 yards per target. While total touchdowns he landed in these past three years after 2023 were only 13.

Kelce has survived successfully in the NFL for a single franchise for the past 12 years. In his first six years in the NFL, Kelce’s best season was 2018 where he was targeted for 150 times and he made 103 out of those throws while covering 1,336 yards for 10 TDs. And in these past six years (2020 to 2025), he scaled a bit higher in his performance. His biggest recent season was 2022 where Kelce covered 1,338 yards, caught 110 out of 152 throws and reached the end zone successfully 12 times throughout the season.

But after that, the graph couldn’t take off above that mark. The Chiefs’ No. 87, who also used to catch almost every easy throw from Patrick Mahomes, fumbled several times in the 2025 season. The Chiefs’ matchup against the Houston Texans was the toughest for Kelce in 2025. In that game on Dec. 07, 2025, he had only one catch for eight yards. He was also intercepted by Azeez Al-Shaair in that game. Also against the Philadelphia Eagles, Kelce’s missed catch led to a turnover.

But these are some unfortunate incidents where Travis Kelce couldn’t showcase his aura. He could defy any prediction in the 2026 NFL season, though the executives and scouts speculated that his upcoming season could not get him in the top 3 or 5, unlike his earlier days.