Travis Kelce Opens Up About Sitting Out Chiefs Game Against Chargers: A Gut Feeling
Travis Kelce discloses the true cause for his absence in the Chiefs vs Chargers game, citing an unsettling feeling as his rationale
Travis Kelce shocked fans when he revealed the unexpected reason behind his absence from the Kansas City Chiefs' game last weekend. "It wasn't a health concern or fear of injury," the 34-year-old confessed on the January 10 episode of his "New Heights" podcast with his brother Jason Kelce. "It just didn't sit right with me."
The NFL tight end rested on the sidelines as the Chiefs faced the Los Angeles Chargers in their last regular-season game on Sunday, January 7, after inconsistent practice throughout the week. (The Chiefs won 13-12 against the Chargers.)
“Getting some rest in the upcoming week, avoiding the L.A. turf, and minimizing hits was my priority to prepare for the playoffs,” he said. However, Travis’ older brother questioned whether his absence was due to a meaningless NFL record.
Travis missed playing on Sunday, but had he been able to play, he would have likely broken the record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by an NFL tight end. Just 16 receiving yards away from his eighth consecutive year, Travis instead ended the regular season with 984 receiving yards. Reflecting on this, Travis shared on "New Heights" that it didn't feel right to play for the record and that he doesn't care about it.
"I've never sat here and said if I don't get 1,000 yards, my season was a failure," Travis said. "I've always had it in my mind ... if I lose a Super Bowl, that's a failure."
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Travis said that “it didn’t feel right” to play the game for just 16 yards.
"I wanted to bring some energy to the sideline," he said, "and let my teammates go out there and perform, and they really delivered, baby."
Before the game, Travis didn't give anything away about whether he would be playing or not.
“I know Coach [Andy] Reid is going to make the best decisions for the team, and at this point, I’m not exactly sure how it's going to unfold, and which players will be on the bench or moved up,” Travis said during “New Heights” on January 5. “It will really depend on the players on your roster and how many players you can deactivate while still putting together a strong team and having a full squad ready to go.”
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Ahead of Sunday’s kickoff time, the Chiefs announced via X (formerly Twitter) that Travis had officially “been ruled OUT” of the game.
Travis' girlfriend, Taylor Swift, was notably absent from the Chiefs game, as she was attending the Golden Globes on the same day. Despite being nominated for Cinematic and Box Office Achievement at the awards show, she ultimately lost to Barbie.
