Travis Kelce, a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, is 34 years old and still among the best in the league. Even if the Chiefs aren’t playing well at the moment, Kelce is still on track to record 1,000 receiving yards for the seventh consecutive year.
Even though tight end Travis Kelce is a gifted player, one NFL general manager noticed some concerning indicators in the Kansas City Chiefs’ Week 13 loss to the Green Bay Packers, which ended 27-19.
According to Mike Sando of The Athletic, Kelce is seeing a decline in his stats. He is averaging four less receiving yards per game than he did the previous season, and his 11.2 yards per reception is on track to be a career low.
“It is funny you say that,” the GM said to Sando. “I was watching him run down on that Hail Mary (against Green Bay), and I was thinking he might be almost done. I say that understanding he has been productive at times this year. But you know what the first sign of decline for a player like Travis Kelce is? That he is not the same player late in the season. It means his body is not recovering.”
In an interview with Sando, an NFL offensive coach mentioned that the eight-time Pro Bowler “has never been good lining up and beating a guy press-man on him,” but said otherwise.
WOW: A rival #NFL general manager says that #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce might almost be done playing football and that he is declining.
“I was watching him run down on that Hail Mary (against Green Bay), and I was thinking he might be almost done. I say that understanding he has… pic.twitter.com/lZAKlnircu
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) December 14, 2023
Even when Taylor Swift is watching him from the stands, Kelce, who has played in 156 games, doesn’t seem to be slowing down.
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Over the last three games for Kansas City, Kelce has 255 receiving yards and 15.9 yards per reception. If that is a player who is nearly finished, I’m very sure the Chiefs would tolerate that version indefinitely.
In an exclusive interview, Kelce told the Wall Street Journal that he had been thinking about retirement “more than anyone could ever imagine.” It is more related to the wounds he has sustained and the physical toll that engaging in such a harsh game can take on one’s body. Kelce said,
“That’s the only thing I’ve never really been open about, the discomfort. The pain,” . “The lingering injuries — the 10 surgeries I’ve had that I still feel every single surgery to this day.”
This season, Kelce has 80 catches for 896 yards and five touchdowns.