It has been a slow start to the 2024 season for Kansas City Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay is not letting him off the hook for the root cause. Kelce is in his 12th NFL season and spoke about the significance of training camp.
However, McShay says Kelce is not at his best yet and it is because he spent the offseason partying.
McShay also notes Kelce’s relationship – and public appearances – with Taylor Swift.
McShay: Chiefs’ Travis Kelce ‘Out of Shape’
Travis Kelce’s Offseason Under Microscope Amid Chiefs’ 3-0 Start
“So I don’t understand this. And maybe it’s a political thing, maybe it’s like the NFL, and maybe I’m going to wind up getting a phone call from the league offices. Maybe it’s the Taylor Swift. I don’t know. But like when you’re staring at something so obvious,” McShay said on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast” on September 23.
“Every show I watch – every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show – every broadcast I watched for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason, he’s been jet setting around with his the most famous person probably in the entire world, that he’s going to the US Open and he’s got cocktails in it?”
Travis Kelce’s week:
Monday: Become NFL’s highest-paid TE
Saturday: Kentucky Derby in Louisville
Sunday: Miami Grand Prix with Patrick Mahomes, co-owners of Alpine F1
pic.twitter.com/MYob1X0hjF— Front Office Sports (@FOS) May 5, 2024
Kelce’s attendance is not the only issue, and he was not the only Chiefs player to attend the event or have an active offseason with Patrick Mahomes and his wife, Brittney, also at the Open.
But McShay is not just noting Kelce’s appearances, but also his appearance, saying the soon-to-be 35-year-old star is out of shape.
Back-to-Back Slow Starts for Chiefs’ Travis Kelce
“I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022, and then take a picture preseason 2024,” McShay said. “They’re barely the same human being, Ryen. And everyone’s like, ‘We got to get him the ball. Why isn’t he part of the offense? The defense is double –.’ Yeah, the coverage is the [same]. Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelsey, the coverage and the respect he gets is the same. The athlete is not.”
Kelce has yet to find the end zone in 2023. He did have four grabs for 30 yards in the win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3.
— 🏈👑 (@TayvisHaze) September 23, 2024
He has eight receptions for 69 yards on the season and is currently tracking to post his lowest marks since his rookie season in receptions, yards, and catch rate, per Pro Football Reference. He also started the 2023 season slowly in part due to a knee injury.
Kelce finished the campaign with 93 receptions, 984 yards, and 5 touchdowns. The yardage was his lowest mark since 2015 while the touchdowns tied his fewest since 2019.
“Now, is he going to work himself into shape during the season? Yeah, I’m sure he will,” McShay said. “He’s an unbelievable competitor, he’s one of the best to ever do it, and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there and show us up in the in some clutch moments. But he’s not the same guy right now.
“There’s no debating that his body type is different. He’s not in the same shape, he’s not the same. I don’t see the same explosiveness, I see him wearing down a little bit in games. It’s okay. He’ll work himself back into shape it’s not the first guy ever who’s not quite in the elite shape that he was.”
McShay clarified that he was not blaming Swift or that he believed Kelce would not get to where he needs to be for the Chiefs to reach their goals.
He did say that it is “impossible” to manage all Kelce did in the offseason and be in peak shape.
Patrick Mahomes Not Above Criticism
Mahomes did not escape criticism for his start, which has featured some history-making and a career-high 69.6% completion rate. The Athletic’s Jeff Howe dropped him from the top spot in his weekly QB rankings, supplanting him with Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen.
“There’s a new No. 1 in town, with Josh Allen playing better than anyone on the planet, and he’s got the Buffalo Bills on a mission very early in the season,” Howe wrote on September 24. “Plus, Patrick Mahomes hasn’t exactly looked like … Patrick Mahomes.
“Though the Kansas City Chiefs star is on pace for a career high in completion percentage, he’s got five touchdowns against four interceptions — nearly as many picks as he had in all of 2019 (five) and 2020 (six) and putting him on pace for a career high. His 219.7 passing yards per game would be significantly lower than last year’s career worst of 261.4 and almost a football field shy of his career best of 318.6 in 2018.”
Howe notes that Mahomes is likely feeling out defenses in the early portion of the schedule. That could bode well for Kelce.
But Kelce is contended with Rashee Rice and rookie Xavier Worthy for targets this year.
The Chiefs visit the Los Angeles Chargers and host the New Orleans Saints before going on their bye week. That gives Mahomes and Kelce a chance to see if they can fire on all cylinders or need to reassess during the break.
Main Photo: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
