Travis Kelce says the ‘Sitting Out Chiefs’ game was ‘nothing’ health related
Travis KelceThe reason for missing the Kansas City Chiefs game last weekend is quite surprising.
“It actually had nothing to do with my health. It actually had nothing to do with whether or not I was going to get injured,” Travis, 34, admitted on the Wednesday, January 10, episode. Podcast ‘New Heights’ with brother Jason Kelce. “It was more that it just didn’t feel right in my gut.”
The NFL tight end was on the sidelines as the Chiefs played the Los Angeles Chargers in their final game of the regular season on Sunday, Jan. 7, after being “in and out of practice” all week. (The Chiefs defeated the Chargers 13 to 12.)
“If I could get some rest over the next week, stay off the grass in LA and just avoid a few hits, I was all for that to get ready for the playoffs,” he explained. However, Travis’ older brother wondered if the game miss had anything to do with an “arbitrary” NFL record.
Had Travis played Sunday, he likely would have broken the record for the NFL tight end with most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He was just 16 yards shy of his eighth straight year. Instead, Travis finished the regular season with 984 receiving yards.
“It didn’t feel like I should be playing the game that way,” Travis mused on “New Heights,” explaining that he’s “not saying anything on the record.”
“I’ve never sat here and said if I don’t get 1,000 yards, my season is a failure,” Travis said. “I’ve always had it in my head … if I lose a Super Bowl, it’s a failure.”
Travis said that “it didn’t feel right” to play the play only 16 yards.
“I thought I would just bring the energy to the sidelines,” he concluded. “Let my boys get out there and rock, and sure enough they did, baby.”
Before the game, Travis was cagey about his potential appearance on the field.
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“I know Coach [Andy] Reid is going to do what’s best for the time, and at this point I’m not sure exactly how it will turn out. [and] when boys sit down [on the bench]some guys are gonna be elevated,” Travis said during “New Heights” on Jan. 5. ‘It’s going really well [to] Depending on who is on your roster and how many guys you can deactivate, you can still put together a good team and have a full squad ready.”
Prior to Sunday’s kickoff, the Chiefs announced via X (formerly Twitter) that Travis had been officially “ruled out” of the game.
Because the Chiefs game was the same day as the Golden Globes, Travis’ girlfriend Taylor Swift was missing from the stands. She was in the running for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at Sunday’s awards ceremony, but ultimately lost out Barbie.