Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Travis Kelce Sends Clear Message to Emerging Chiefs Star

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Rex Villas | Last updated Sep 23, 2025 5:55 AM ET

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyquan Thornton isn’t a household name yet, but he has to be more recognizable now than he was before the start of the 2025 NFL season.

The former Baylor Bears wideout is coming off another impressive performance for the reigning AFC champions, as he paced the Chiefs with 71 receiving yards to go with a touchdown on five catches and nine targets in a 22-9 primetime win on "Sunday Night Football" versus Russell Wilson and the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.

Thornton appears to be quite a find for Kansas City's front office. After spending three seasons with the New England Patriots, collecting just 385 receiving yards and two touchdowns on 39 receptions across 29 games, Thornton was signed by Kansas City to its practice squad in November 2024.

He impressed the team in the training camp and in preseason and is now proving to be among the chief downfield targets for superstar Patrick Mahomes.

On Monday, Thornton shared some snapshots of the Giants game via a post on Instagram, captioning it with "Mark 9:23 ."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Tyquan Thornton (@t.thorn4on_)

That's a bible verse that reads "‘If you can?' said Jesus. 'Everything is possible for one who believes.'”

Thornton's post attracted attention. Even Chiefs superstar tight end Travis Kelce commented on it.

"Ayyyeeee Go crazy Ty!!" wrote Kelce, who recorded just 26 receiving yards on seven catches in the Giants game.

Through three games, Thornton is tied with Hollywood Brown with 171 receiving yards each to lead all Kansas City players. The Chiefs are hoping that they have finally found their offensive rhythm in their win over the Giants.

If Thornton can sustain his form, the Chiefs will be in a much better position to get back to .500 this coming Sunday in a marquee Week 4 matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Thornton, who was a second-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft by the Patriots, has 130 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the last two Chiefs games.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: