Why Chiefs TE Travis Kelce deserves latest Pro Bowl nod

Travis Kelce is among the league leaders at his position 

Possibly to the surprise of some, Kelce actually leads the conference in yards by a tight end — he's third in the entire NFL behind the Cardinals' Trey McBride and the Falcons' Kyle Pitts Sr. He's also seventh in both yards per game and receptions and just outside the top 10 in touchdowns.

So even though much of the conversation all season has been about Kelce's decline, one that's common for a player in his late 30s, he's producing enough to rank near the top of the league in multiple categories. 

Sure, there are other deserving candidates, but it's not all that crazy for a player who ranks where Kelce does to make the team, especially when most of the top tight ends are in the NFC, providing an easier path to lead his conference. 

Kelce's rare lack of team success in 2025 shouldn't be a factor for the Pro Bowl, either— it's an All-Star event intended to showcase the game's best players, an honor Kelce still deserves. 

It's okay to honor Travis Kelce as a legend of the game

His 2025 season may appear pedestrian compared to most of his career, but Kelce should only be judged against his contemporaries this year. 

However, to put Kelce's greatness into perspective, his season-highs include catching 110 passes in 2022 and racking up 1,416 yards in 2020. Overall, Kelce has three separate seasons with over 100 receptions, and he's surpassed 90 in each of the past seven years. Kelce now has 12 straight seasons with over 800 yards, highlighted by exceeding 1,000 yards in seven seasons in a row from 2016-22.

All of that doesn't even speak to how much he's impacted five conference champions and three Super Bowl championship teams, though the Pro Bowl is about the regular season only. 

There's no denying Kelce will go down as a legend of the game. And since that's the case, is it really a big deal to honor a future Hall of Famer one more time?