How A 2 Star Recruit Became An NFL Superstar

two rings hundreds of millions of dollars in earnings Taylor Swift on his arm Travis Kelce stays winning but the future Hall of Famer was not always at the top of the food chain before the Chiefs and the corny Campbell Soup commercials Kelsey nearly missed his chance to make it to the lead in fact he was kicked off his college team for failing a drug test in his early days Kelsey was closer to an anti-hero than an Ohio football icon but as NFL defenses know you can't deny a guy like Kelsey this is the story of how a two-star recruit became the greatest tight end ever you ready whether they like it or not NFL fans now see Travis his brother Jason and the Kelsey family all the time they're now football royalty but back in 1989 when Kelsey was born they were just an average Cleveland Heights Ohio family however the wild side of Travis was Apparent from a young age he once told the story of how he got kicked out of preschool because during uh playtime we were playing checkers I kept winning and the teacher told me you know Travis you have to share and I said no I don't and through the chair that I was sitting in at her in high school despite being a dominant three sport athlete failing French class got him suspended for his sophomore football season the last season he could play alongside his older brother Jason who was a senior but when Kelsey was on the field he balled out not as a tight end though as a quarterback during his senior year he racked up 2539 total yards and 31 total touchdowns with nearly half of those yards coming on the Run however recruiting sites only had Kelsey as a two-star prospect college football's Blue Bloods weren't sending in offers he was a tremendous athlete but his desire to play quarterback in college rather than switch positions limited the offers coming in but Kelsey did get a letter from Cincinnati there were other schools pursuing Travis's signature but they weren't in the same league as Cincy plus his brother Jason was already a starting guard for the Bearcats Kelsey joined Cincinnati in the class of 2008 but was a red shirt his first year on campus and only received nine total touches as a wildcat quarterback the following year while a slow start isn't ideal at least Kelsey still had 3 years of Eligibility but failing a drug test for marijuana the following off season put his entire football career in Jeopardy Travis was suspended from the team and his scholarship was revoked he was left without anywhere to live and wondering if he would ever get a second chance on the field it's Kelsey's brotherly connection that likely saved him from outright being removed from the program Jason took his brother under his wing cramming another bed in his room so Travis had somewhere to stay and helping him with food behind the scenes Jason also put his own name on the line advocating for Travis and talking to several Bearcat coaches on his behalf I don't know what the heck he told him I don't know what he said Jason's efforts worked Travis was able to return to the team the next year but his return did not mean he started making a bigger impact in the 2011 season Kelce only made 13 catches however he had accepted his role as tight end going forward with just one year left of college eligibility his Pro Prospects looked Bleak at best he had barely played got in trouble and essentially had one season to prove his worth but in 2012 he finally had his coming out party Kelsey caught 45 passes for 722 yards and eight touchdowns becoming a focal point of the Cincinnati offense his size and speed already made him an interesting NFL project but coaches just needed to see him put it together on the field Kelce finally delivered it's hard to say how high Kelce could have been drafted without the drug test I mean obviously everyone has the hopes of of being you know maybe a first round pick I was dreaming big he could have been a first round pick but those red flags stuck around through the 2013 draft process he doesn't really produce until 2012 so may label him a potential oneye wonder the important thing is one coach and one team did take a chance on Kelsey it was Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs the Kansas City chief select Travis Kelsey ID in Cincinnati but Reed wasn't giving Kelsey a clean slate in fact he gave him a Stern warning when the Chiefs drafted him Kelsey once quoted Reed's draft a phone call saying listen shut up are you going to mess this up are you going to screw this up for yourself and this team can I count on you Kelsey answered positively but Reed demanded that he put his brother Jason who Reed drafted and coached while with the Eagles on the phone when the phone was passed back Reed's final message was all right we're going to take you but the minute you start to go astray I'm going to kick your ass Jason once again put in a good word for his little brother but as soon as Kelsey got to the NFL he was just being himself and well he admitted to burning through his rookie year money on bottles in the club and having to dodge his rent lady because of overspending I had my eyes on a pair of size 13 Nike airmag Marty mcfli he simply couldn't turn down a good party Reed even said that the rumors about Kelsey's off the- field actions and attitude were pretty close in his early years it didn't help that he warmed the bench in his first NFL season he only played One Snap as a rookie in 2013 and that was on special teams injuries played a factor in his ability to hit the field but Kelsey himself was a non-factor to the Chiefs he changed that permanently in 2014 Kelsey immediately contributed to the offense in his second season which included scoring in three straight games from week three through week five Kelsey went over 50 receiving yards seven times that year of course the attitude remained and he wasn't afraid to clown elite players Reed may not have been a fan but Kelce racking up 862 receiving yards and five touchdowns made the occasional issues worth it and don't forget this is pre Patrick Mahomes Alex Smith was no slouch but comparing Smith to Mahomes is like comparing Alexis to a Lambo one is nice the other is on a different level of performance in the meantime Kelsey began building one of the greatest individual legacies in the sport after his breakout year Kelsey followed up with an almost identical season in 2015 with 875 receiving yards and five TDS going to the Pro Bowl for the first time Kelsey earned a sizable chunk of change by just making it to the NFL but the real money rolled in after that second impressive season the chiefs were convinced by his play after two impressive Seasons throwing down a whopping 5year $46 million contract Kelsey had made it but he was just getting started the dollars immediately translated to production the Chiefs te hit another gear The Following Season cracking the thousand yard Mark for the first time in his NF career with 1,125 yards and four scores also making the All Pro Squad he was making plays every week the chiefs were making the playoffs every year and the era of Kelce being a potential liability was far behind him but they were still missing an elite QB to become a true Super Bowl Contender then in the spring of 2017 they took a leap of faith by drafting Patrick Mahomes in the 2017 NFL draft the Kansas City chief select Patrick Mahomes everything changed Reed rolled with Alex Smith one more time in 2017 and that was just fine with Kelsey he again passed the thousand yard Mark and made his third consecutive Pro Bowl but despite the individual success the team was still falling short in the playoffs each year over Kelsey's first four seasons with Kansas City the team's regular season record was 42 and 22 and despite making the playoffs in three consecutive Seasons the Chiefs had just one win to show for it Smith and the chief's roster were good enough to win games but not good enough to go the distance with momes taking over the starting role Kansas City fans only hoped that the offense would ignite but anyone that watched knows what happened was more like an explosion Mahomes threw for 5,097 yards and 50 touchdowns and nearly every Chiefs skill player had an impressive campaign that year but Kelce was a monster he set career bests with 1,336 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns Mahomes had one of the greatest debut seasons in NFL history and Kelce was establishing himself as the best tight end in football the Chiefs won another division title but getting over the hump in the playoffs was still the itch Kansas City and Kelce could not scratch with momes their chances felt stronger than ever and when the Chiefs dominated the Colts 3113 in the divisional round Tom Brady and the Patriots awaited them in the AFC Championship what better way to claim the AFC Throne than by beating the dynasty currently sitting on it when the two sides met it was a movie Kelsey got into the end zone momes and Brady dueled and the game went to overtime but the Chiefs still lost for Kelsey it was frustrating to return to square one another playoff birth another playoff exit he was six seasons into his career but still had a losing record in the playoffs something had to change so the Chiefs opened 2019 with a chip on their shoulder and a 4-0 record even by Kelsey's standards he balled out during that stretch going for 85 Plus receiving yards in each game but despite dominating the first month of the season the Chiefs would end up hitting a major roadblock Midway through the season over the next six games Kansas City actually had a losing record the Chiefs went two and four with each frustrating loss coming by a onore deficit Kel's production did not falter but the chiefs were struggling to win games as any NFL fan knows even good teams lose games but they don't lose many and over the final six games of 2019 the Chiefs roared back and Kelsey ball he finished the season with 1,229 receiving yards and five touchdowns and Kansas City were again the AFC West Champs just three wins away from hoisting the Lombardi trophy and it didn't take long for Kelsey to make a dramatic impact in their playoff campaign against the Texans in the divisional round Kelsey had a legacy defining game with a jaw-dropping 10 catches for 143 receiving yards and three touchdowns he had taken games over before but never in the playoffs and never quite to that extent his first three touchdown game of his career came in a huge 5131 comeback win and the chiefs were Cruising Into the AFC Championship Kelsey was quieter in the box score that week but KC still beat the Tennessee Titans 3524 finally in his seventh NFL season Kelsey won multiple playoff games in a single postseason and the chiefs were headed to Super Bowl 54 Kelsey and the Kansas City offense had a tall task facing the San Franc Isco 49ers the 49ers boasted one of the NFL's best defenses That season while the Chiefs had the clear Edge between the two offenses but with the ners leading 2010 in the fourth quarter it looked like the Chiefs would again fall short baby way to hold him you keep fighting keep fighting but the Chiefs stars came up big when it mattered most Kelce injected life into the game with just 6 minutes on the clock Mahomes found Kelce for a one-yard score to make it 2017 the chief's defense then came up big multiple times while the offense scored another two touchdowns to finish the game 3120 moms throws pass caught Williams touchdown Kelsey delivered a vital performance with six receptions 44 yards and a touchdown but the more important thing was that he had finally reached the peak he had gone from a two-star Ohio High School recruit to the leading receiver on a Super Bowl winning Squad but Kelsey and the Chiefs weren't going to rest easy cuz next season they were just as hungry for another ring entering the 2020 season Travis received a whopping 4-year $ 57 million contract extension and the last time he got a pay raise in 2016 he had a career year but could he do it again for most NFL players entering their 30s typically means they start regressing but for Kelsey it felt like he was just entering his prime so the answer was a resounding yes Kelsey set multiple career bests with 105 receptions 1,416 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns the Chiefs steamrolled the competition to a 14-2 record the best regular season record of Kelsey's career then Kansas City earned close wins over the Browns and the bills in the playoffs to send them to the Super Bowl for a second straight year it was also an opportunity to get revenge on Tom Brady who was now with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the defeat he handed the Chiefs in the 2019 AFC Championship Game during Super Bowl 55 Kelce consistently slipped by Defenders and brought in 10 receptions for 133 yards but but Kelsey's exceptional performance was not enough Tampa Bay's defense proved to be too strong for the Chiefs in a 319 win it was a rare occasion that Kansas City was beaten both offensively and defensively one of those days where it just felt like you know you uh anything you did they they had an answer for and proves how difficult it is to win multiple Super Bowls few players ever win one ring even fewer do it twice and as disappointing as this loss was the chiefs were still an absolute wagon the following year in 2021 going 12 and five in the regular season Kelce continued producing at an elite Pace with 1,125 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in the playoffs the Chiefs fell short yet again this time it was an electric overtime loss to a Joe burrow Leed Cincinnati Bengal team that ended the Chiefs chances of playing in their third consecutive Super Bowl this playoff exit had an extra sting for Kelce after having the best playoff run of his career Travis scored a touchdown and total 95 receiving yards or better in each game entering 2022 Kelsey was now 33 years old and the Chiefs had parted ways with their star receiver Tyreek Hill Hill's extreme speed complemented Kelsey's sure hands and big frame but now Kelsey would need to make plays without the cheetah whether or not Kelsey had anything to prove he played like he was making a point he opened the season with an insane performance going for 121 receiving yards and a touchdown over the first 15 games of that season Kelce totaled 50 yards or better in every game except one in week five he scored four times in a single game it marked only the second game in his NFL career that Kelce scored three or more touchdowns just five games later he went off for another hattick any questions about Kelsey's age were answered as were the questions about his ability to perform without Tyreek Hill taking away some of the defense's attention the Chiefs marched to a 14 and3 record and Kelce LED all tight ends in receptions receiving yards and touchdowns 2022 was a year in which no other tight end was in the same Stratosphere as Travis Kelce but the goal is to win rings and Kelce got the Chiefs playoff campaign started in a big way in the divisional round Kelsey caught an astounding 14 passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns as the Chiefs beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 27-20 this set the record for most receptions by a tight end in a playoff game kelse didn't slow down there either he followed that game up with another 78 yards and a score in the AFC champion Championship Kansas City got revenge on Cincinnati in a 2320 win and Kelce was headed back to the Super Bowl there's no question that Super Bowl 58 was one of the craziest of all time both for fans and for Kelce Not only was Travis back in his third Super Bowl he was also facing off against the Eagles and his brother Jason on the game's biggest stage a win for Travis would mean beating the man who saved his football career it would mean beating his best friend both the Chiefs and Eagles dished out Haymaker blow as the lead changed back and forth and in a game like this Travis was always going to make an impact he caught the chief's first touchdown pass and was perfect when he targeted throughout the night catching all six passes that were thrown his way when the dust had finally settled the Chiefs narrowly won a 3835 contest Travis had bested his brother but their postgame Embrace showed how important family was to them both and how Bittersweet the win really was there's nothing you can really say to uh a loved one in that in a situation like that ring number two had arrived and Kelce won it while still playing his best ball it doesn't get any better than that champion Trevis Kelce is a champion twice chion my new ring in 2023 Kelce continues to embarrass defenses in week two he tortured the Chargers secondary with 179 receiving yards and a TD the second highest yards total he's had in an NFL game he Then followed up with 124 yards against the Broncos a week later being being an AFC West defense is rough and in terms of the greatest tight end in NFL history Kelsey is hard to deny that title while he's currently fourth in all-time tight end receiving yards he's less than 5,000 yards back from Tony Gonzalez at the top spot with over 100 less games played he also holds every major tight end playoff record showing just how clutch he's been when it matters most Kelsey is 34 years old but aging like fine wine if you enjoyed this video stick with blitz check out our break down of another all-time great tight end Shannon sharp or any of our other videos for the best NFL content on YouTube

Channel: BLITZ

Views: 735,986

Keywords: travis kelce, NFL

Id: 586QZOtiQHM

Length: 17min 5sec (1025 seconds)

Published: Mon Jan 08 2024