Kansas City’s superstar tight end took the Super Bowl loss hard — but is focused entirely on bouncing back in 2025.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce was not in evidence during the OTA practice sessions that were open to reporters during the last three weeks. But as expected, the team’s most famous tight end — who had been reported to have dropped 25 pounds during the offseason — was on the practice field for this week’s mandatory minicamp practices.
Speaking with reporters after Wednesday’s session, Kelce pushed back on the weight-loss report.
“First of all, I never said that,” he laughed. “Don’t believe all you read on the internet, guys, all right? [I] never told anybody that. I mean, I’m down some weight from the end of the season last year — but each year is different, man. You’ve got to rebuild it.
“This year, I got some time to really focus on some form running and some things early on in the offseason that I just didn’t have time for last year. [I’m] certainly feeling good — and I think [the lost weight] will pay off.”
According to Kelce, he has simple expectations for the coming season.
“Just to be the best,” he declared. “Yeah, [to] be the best teammate — be the best leader — I can. Last year, I think I failed — especially in that last game — at being a leader and being the one that can step up and make plays.”
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The tight end was happy to be more specific.
“I just didn’t make the plays that I thought I should have made,” he recalled of the team’s Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “I didn’t get open in certain situations. [I wasn’t] blocking the right guys [or] having my attention to detail. [I wasn’t] motivating my guys to get the energy and the focus and the confidence that we needed during that game. I just felt like I failed my guys.”
But Kelce wanted to be clear about something else, too: to him, “being the best” means winning a championship. Nothing else.
“That’s the only way I determine whether it’s a success or not,” he explained. “It’s just kind of how I’m wired now. Earlier on in my career, I would set those goals for myself. [Now,] I just think it’s more of a genuine feeling — and the right mentality — to just go out there and try to make every play for my team… whether it’s receiving or blocking or doing whatever I need to do.”
In fact, Kelce is so focused on winning another Super Bowl that he wasn’t even interested in the 2024 AFC Championship rings that were laid out on a table for the players as they left Tuesday’s practice.
“Everybody has their own view on it,” he said. “Unfortunately for me, I’m only interested in Super Bowl rings. I know what the AFC championship means to this organization and the family — and the 15 wins is something special that I let everybody else be happy with. [But] last year wasn’t a success for me. I’m motivated to make sure that we get that other ring this year.”
And if you’re concerned that Kelce has filled his life with too many distractions — like the trip he and his brother Jason made to Cannes, France on Monday — he wants to set your mind at ease.
“Football is always going to be No. 1,” he declared. “I love this game. It’s still my childhood dream. When I really thought about it this offseason, I got back to just wanting to focus more on this game — and getting [as much] out of this game as I possibly can while I’m still putting on the cleats and putting on the pads.
“So this will always be No. 1 in terms of my business world and my career path. With that being said, everything else is just kind of making sure that I’m accountable [to] the people that I’ve agreed to team up with — like the podcast and going over to France.”
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Even as a 35-year-old celebrity with a world-famous squeeze, Kelce wants to stay hungry.
“It’s all I know, man,” he reminded his listeners. “I get that from the big guy. Coach Reid has set the tone. He challenges us every single week — every single year — to come in and be better than what we were last year.
“[I’ve] kind of inherited that over the course of being under Coach Reid throughout my 12 years here; it’s just it’s a mentality that I know is going to set us up for success down the road — [because] we might not be the same team that we are in preseason that we are in late December, early January and hopefully February.
“With that kind of mindset, no matter what you accomplish, you’re always thinking about the next play and the next game — and being better than your last.”