Even when his potential romance with pop stars isn’t dominating headlines, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been very visible in recent weeks. Kelce has been the face of several campaign ads. He has even joined teammate Patrick Mahomes in a new spot for insurance giant State Farm. But one of his ads grabbed the attention of New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It led to a new nickname for Kelce from the injured passer who was giving his take on his team’s closer-than-anticipated 23-20 loss on Sunday Night Football.
“Mr. Pfizer, we kind of shut him down. He didn’t have his crazy impact game,” Rodgers said on the “Pat McAfee Show” on October 3.
Aaron Rodgers Takes Jab at Chiefs’ Travis Kelce: ‘Mr. Pfizer’
The ad in question promotes getting a COVID-19 shot and a flu shot at the same time.
Rodgers is a well-known supporter of holistic medicine. But he was also at the center of some controversy for refusing to and then later lying about taking the vaccine at the height of the virus. Of course, Kelce and Rodgers could also be seen chatting it up pre-game. So the likelihood of this being anything serious seems slim.
“I think some things are better left on the field,” Rodgers said of the content of their discussion. “But I’ve known him for a long time, and it was just a quick chat. I got to see him, and I got to see Marquez [Valdes-Scantling], who I love.”
Rodgers added that he joked with Mahomes about one of them always missing their games.
“One year he got hurt, and one year I got COVID toe, and then, obviously, this year,” Rodgers continued.
Kelce finished the game with six receptions for 60 yards on nine targets.
The Chiefs struggled with a feisty Jets defense that intercepted Mahomes twice and had multiple other opportunities to take the ball away on the night. They sacked him just once but he was not able to survey from the pocket often. No one in the organization will complain too heavily about a win, though. Especially not one that came when so many things went wrong.
There is also some irony in Rodgers’ comments given the owner of the team he plays for.
Patrick Mahomes Shouts Out Teammate
Mahomes’ rougher-than-usual night did not deter him from appreciating the efforts of his defense, with the two-time MVP showing some love to safety Bryan Cook for his stop on Jets running back Dalvin Cook whose explosive run set New York up to take a lead.
“Crazy,” Mahomes said in a quote post of a clip of the tackle.
On 1st & 10, #Jets RB Breece Hall puts on the jets and picks up 43 yards. #Chiefs safety Bryan Cook made the tackle.#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/gZObc5sHx2
— Devon Clements (@DevclemNFL) October 2, 2023
Cook, a second-round pick in last year’s draft, was credited with two tackles for the game, none more critical than that.
Penalties Take Center Stage
There was much ado about the penalties on both sides with Jets cornerback Michael Carter posting in protest as well as Mahomes and New York’s Sauce Gardner sharing differing views of the events of the night. Both sides have strong arguments, and that ultimately points to a league issue more than any team getting the benefit over the other.
That doesn’t mean this will be the end of the talk, though.
Main Photo: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
