Why has Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce been so quiet lately?

Henry McKenna

AFC East Reporter

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard much about Travis Kelce.

He’s an international icon now. It’s been that way since he started dating Taylor Swift. But the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been pretty quiet during the team’s training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. He seems like a guy who doesn’t want to be noticed.

It’s not like he has totally fallen off the radar, however. Kelce recently announced he’s hosting a game show. And sadly, Swift recently had to cancel some concerts in Austria due to terrorism threats, which stalled her Eras Tour for a week. Kelce has been staying in touch with her, according to reports.

But at Chiefs practices and preseason games, he has seemed relaxed and, perhaps, even muted.

Chiefs camp is certainly the right place for that. Because the team spends camp at Missouri Western State University, it’s insulated from public attention. Kelce is sleeping in one of the dorms — probably pushing together two twin beds to fit his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame. It’s a humble setup.

“This is my sanctuary, baby,” Kelce said on July 27. “St. Joe. Year 12. I’ve spent almost an entire year of my life up here in the dorms. Everybody may see that as pretty grueling, but I enjoy it, man. There’s something about this place that gets you ready every single year. And I’m not going to lie, I got pretty excited [for camp to start].”

The “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” podcast hasn’t dropped a new episode since July 3 after previously averaging about four per month. And Kelce has spoken to the local media just twice since the Super Bowl.

At camp, the 34-year-old Kelce participates in drills, but the Chiefs clearly have him taking it easy — and justifiably so. That has provided more snaps for tight ends Noah Gray, Jared Wiley and Irv Smith. And, most importantly, it’s meant to help Kelce stay on the field for the entire season, perhaps even into February again.

Last year must have been a lot for Kelce — in good ways, of course. He started dating Swift, and he won the Super Bowl again. His snap count (775) was the lowest it has been since 2014, but the offensive load fell on him more than ever from a schematic sense.

Kansas City’s offense got off to a putrid start. Patrick Mahomes said “it wasn’t a lot of fun” to struggle like the Chiefs did in those early weeks. The only pass-catcher he could trust was Kelce, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards despite missing two games. Even when playing, Kelce was managing a knee injury that he suffered going into the season and an ankle injury that he sustained in Week 5.

He punctuated the Chiefs’ 21-game season with a postseason run during which he had 32 catches on 37 targets for 355 yards and three touchdowns.

Kelce referenced the rigors of last season when asked how he managed his high-profile offseason of travels with Swift.

“I would say the biggest thing was getting my body right,” he said. “Last year was pretty taxing on my body. It is what it is. I’ve had more snaps than a lot of guys, if not everybody in the NFL over the past five, six years. I’m very fortunate and very prideful of that. But I know it has taken a toll on my body. It’s just making sure that my body is getting that rest and my ability to train harder and be able to withstand a 17- to 20-game season.”

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Since 2018, Kelce has played more snaps (6,523) than any other skill player in the NFL (including playoffs). That begs the question of whether he is tipping his hand on bowing out of the league soon.

When might he retire? He said he “can’t put a time frame on it.”

“I’m going to do it until the wheels come off, and hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon,” Kelce said. “I can definitely understand that it’s toward the end of the road than at the beginning of it. I just got to make sure I’m set up for after football as well.”

He added: “I love coming to work every single day and doing this.”

In the meantime, the Chiefs have revamped their personnel on offense to help lift the load. Kansas City drafted receiver Xavier Worthy in the first round and signed Hollywood Brown in free agency. Receiver Rashee Rice emerged late last season as one of Mahomes’ favorite pass-catchers.

That said, it might be yet another slow start for the Chiefs’ receivers. Brown suffered a sternoclavicular injury and could miss a few weeks of the regular season. Rice will likely miss the start of the season with a suspension due to his involvement in a multi-car crash in April that left several people injured.

The Chiefs have also added at tight end, drafting Wiley out of TCU in the fourth round. All these offseason moves should help Kelce excel in 2024.

But good luck convincing him to take some plays off during the season.

“Wear and tear me, baby,” Kelce said. “I’m ready for it, man. Put the load on me. I love being accountable for the men and women in this building and Chiefs kingdom. I love the aspect of everybody counting on me just to make the play for my team.

“I don’t think that anything from last year — putting more miles on me — made me less of a player.”

That’s why Kelce seems to be enjoying a ho-hum training camp. He’s focused, yet again, on winning another Super Bowl. The Chiefs have a real shot at becoming the first team in the Super Bowl era to three-peat. If they’re going to do that, Kelce will again need to be a centerpiece.

The idea is straightforward: simplify things in August to excel in February.

Prior to joining FOX Sports as the AFC East reporter, Henry McKenna spent seven years covering the Patriots for USA TODAY Sports Media Group and Boston Globe Media. Follow him on Twitter at @henrycmckenna.

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