Despite his status as a superstar for the Kansas City Chiefs and his contributions to the tight end position, football experts believe that Travis Kelce may start to show signs of regression.
The 35-year-old, who will turn 36 in October, briefly contemplated retirement before deciding to return for a 13th NFL season.
But after a career-worst season in 2024, analysts believe that Kelce will not experience a sudden boost in production for 2025.
For years, Kelce had been at or near the top of the annual position rankings list from Pro Football Focus. Last season, he was second behind San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle.
But this season, PFF has put Kelce at a shocking seventh on their list of tight ends.
Kittle retained his top spot on the list, but a combination of young stars and top veterans all moved ahead of Kelce.
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce might be surprised to see his name seventh on PFF’s tight end list
Kelce has been one of the top tight ends in the country in past seasons. But a dip in form and in production in 2024 led to PFF slotting him below younger and more up-and-coming players.
Between Kittle and Kelce are, in order, Brock Bowers of the Las Vegas Raiders, Trey McBride of the Arizona Cardinals, Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, Sam Laporta of the Detroit Lions, and TJ Hockenson of the Minnesota Vikings.
‘While Kelce has been the second-most-valuable tight end over the past two seasons, per PFF WAR, 2024 represented the lowest-graded season of his career (71.7),’ PFF analyst John Kosko explained.
‘Age looks to be catching up to the future Hall of Famer,’ he continued, concluding that ‘his 91.4 PFF overall grade from 2022 appears to be a thing of the past.’
Kelce has been dominant for over a decade – cementing himself as one of the greatest tight ends of all time in the process.
However, he only hauled in 823 yards last season – his worst numbers since his rookie campaign.
That said, both Andrews and Hockenson put up fewer yards than Kelce last season – which could make this ranking seem a bit harsh.
Kelce has had a more ‘low key’ offseason than in years past, being seen out only sparingly as he looks to bounce back for what may be his last NFL campaign in 2025.
