Laddie Morse
When Travis Kelce was drafted in 2013 by the Kansas City Chiefs, they had no idea he was going to become the best Tight end of all time. Travis was drafted as the 1st pick in the third round sandwiched between the Chiefs picks of Eric Fisher and Knile Davis. So, since K.C. had traded away their second round selection to the 49ers to get QB Alex Smith, Kelce was the second pick Andy Reid made in his tenure with the Chiefs.
However, Kelce had some troubles while playing for Cincinnati in college and the Chiefs had some questions for him, prior to the time of drafting him (0:51):
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As a fan of the Chiefs, I recall being disappointed in Kelce because he had to sit out his rookie season with a knee injury. Kelce injured his knee in the preseason his first year, 2013. Diagnosis? A bone Bruise. After being limited the first two weeks of the regular season he was eventually placed on IR, having micro-fracture surgery. I was certain we’d never see him play based upon our last failed foray into the Tight End market with Tony Moeaki just three years earlier. However, the National Library of Medicine says:
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“Micro-fracture is frequently used for articular cartilage repair in athletes… ability to return to sports participation, timing of the return to sport, level of postoperative sports activity, and continuation of athletic competition over time. Thirteen studies describing 821 athletes were included in the analysis with an average follow-up of 42 months. Good or excellent results were reported in 67% of athletes with normal International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) scores in 80%….”
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I’d say Travis Kelce’s knee surgery was a huge flying success. Plus, my doubts quickly faded upon his return to action. Now, Travis Kelce’s leadership is apparent to everyone, at all positions. When I say “now” that means just yesterday:
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Early in Kelce’s career he had issues with his behavior:
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Dunking over the Goal Posts was banned because of another Chiefs TE: Tony Gonzalez. Kelce also once threw a flag (it was a towel he had in his back pocket) at an official who had not made the call he’d hoped for:
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Kelce then appeared on the Rich Eisen show (by phone) to talk about the whole “towel-throwing” situation (4:48):
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“Watching the video is priceless… man it’s… well, I can’t say it was priceless, it’s $25,000 dollars worth.” That was Kelce referring to the fine he was assessed by the NFL. To this day, Kelce plays an intense game of football.
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Travis Kelce has always been a man of style.
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No matter where you see Kelce, he’s always dressed for the occasion:
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Earlier this offseason, his brother Jason retired from football. Jason had a 13 year career as a Center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was drafted in 2011 by Andy Reid. Obviously, it was an emotional time during his announcement:
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Jason hugs Kylie, his wife — Philadelphia Inquirer
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Travis was on hand along with his mother Donna Kelce. It seems plane that with Jason Kelce retiring, Travis has his own retirement on his mind much more often.
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No matter what the occasion, Travis is always putting his best foot forward:
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In case you missed it, Kelce was the guest host on Saturday Night Live last season (TV Season).
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Earlier in Kelce’s career he was on a program called, “Catching Kelce” in which he was supposed to choose a wife from the many ladies provided to him. He ended up not choosing anyone, but shortly thereafter started a long term relationship, from 2017 to 2022, with a lady named Kayla Nicole. Vanity Fair claims Kelce doesn’t want fans to see the show he was in:
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Perhaps Kelce is thinking about retirement because he has all these showbiz opportunities available to him now. What shows? Shows like “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity?” which he shot this past spring and summer and will come out in October on Prime:
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Travis Kelce has a 2-year , $34.25 M contract with the Chiefs, and that includes $17 M guaranteed. That means Kelce will be playing two more years for K.C. in 2024 and 2025. Many have projected that Kelce will play more years than that but with his brother retiring and he’s two years older, it makes sense that Travis will follow suit.
You may have noticed that I have not included any pictures of Taylor Swift, Travis girlfriend. Well, sorry, if you thought I was going to get through this whole piece without showing her with Trav.
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What do you think?
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Laddie Morse — ArrowheadOne
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