After a long absence from the Chiefs media, Travis Kelce finally talked about why he is coming back to football and the Kansas City Chiefs. In a press conference after Chiefs mandatory minicamp, the legendary tight end was quoted as saying, "It wasn't that hard of a decision". On Friday's episode of the Rich Eisen Show, the seven-time Emmy nominee talked about Kelce's comments.
"It's not that hard of a decision?" And the reason why people are bringing this up is because, again, of the way Kelce finished up last year and what his numbers were last year. His numbers last year, I have them in front of me, the fewest receiving yards in a season for him since 2015... 823 yards," Eisen said.
"As a matter of fact, I need to amend that. It's the lowest he's ever had in any season in which he started 16 games of his career. He started 16 games in 2015 [and] had 875 yards receiving. He had 823 last year. His three touchdowns last year, fewest of any season of his career. And then there was the Super Bowl in which we were expecting maybe another "Mahomes-Kelce" magic. But as you know, there was zero magic on that night".
When a clip showing the Chiefs' All-Pro TE talking about how he felt he let his team down in the Super Bowl bludgeoning perpetrated by the Philadelphia Eagles, Eisen praised his candor and truthfulness.
"I just love the man's honesty, obviously, and just [the] taking of responsibility, and listen, he is now. Travis Kelce will be celebrating his 36th birthday the day before he goes and visits Jacksonville on Monday Night Football Week Five. The reason why I'm bringing all of this up now, Travis Kelce, we already know, has a white hot spotlight on him based on who he's dating, straight up."
"[He's] a clear, sure-fire, first-ballot Hall of Fame five years as soon as he says, I am done, he's going in. And when he walks into that bust room, you will already see his brother there. Remember that there's no dispute. But the reason why I bring this up, he will be the avatar. He will be the focus as to whether the chiefs are finally vulnerable and can get got in their dynastic run. Because at some point, Brady no longer had Randy Moss. He no longer had Welker. At some point in that respect, at some point, Mahomes will no longer have Kelce. And is this the beginning of the Chiefs potentially hanging on to the past?"
Eisen then intimated that it could be the last time around for Travis Kelce. His stats over the past two years could foreshadow No. 87 going in that direction. It could also influence General Manager Brett Veach and Head Coach Andy Reid into cutting ties. Then there's the thought that Kelce can pull it together for one glorious run.
"Fair or not, looking at him, is he going to be the same Travis Kelce as previous years? Because it is now, as he goes into this season, it will be two consecutive years without 1,000 yards receiving. Fair or not, that's the way it's going to be looked at. This guy will be the guy. Is he the guy anymore? Can Mahomes connect with him? And this is a team that with him last year, and all of that made the Super Bowl anyway."
"This could be it, Kelce's last year. Don't know anyway, could not. Maybe it's not, don't know. But everybody's thinking, maybe the Chiefs can get got and is this the time where the Patriots, back in the day, used to end their relationship with people before the diminishing returns hit earlier. You go down a list of people that they did that to. Richard Seymour is one of them, long and distinguished, right? {Lawyer] Malloy. Keep going down. Dion Branch got traded, or is Kelce is just going to come back stronger than ever?"
At this particular juncture, the future is in nobody's hands besides Travis Kelce, and he seems like the kind of guy who won't let anybody decide for him. But if you translate and read between the lines of Kelce's words in the Thursday presser, it's apparent that Travis Kelce is all in.
