At 34, Travis Kelce is past the age most would consider the prime of a tight end. However, he is quick on his feet and has one of the best pair of hands among the TEs in the league. So how does he manage to stay in shape, even being on the wrong side of 30?
Chiefs HC Andy Reid think it has to do with Travis’s agility and the effort he puts into staying into shape. He emphasized, during a press meet, that Travis’s ability to stay in “good shape” at 34 is a result of his flexibility and physical strength.
He further noted that the TE is “not real stiff” and possesses “good flexibility,” which contributes to his performance on the field.
Travis’s route running is nothing short of an art, with his uncanny ability to read defenses in real-time and seamlessly adapt his routes allowing him to create separation and find open spaces. His fluidity and smoothness on the field lets him slip past the defense with the ball securely in his hands.
Travis is QB Patrick Mahomes’ favorite target for this same reason, something he has himself described as the TE’s IQ for football. He once said that Travis doesn’t run the route he is supposed to, instead he runs a better one.
Despite suffering physically last season, and getting beat up, the TE showed up to every single practice this offseason. He is clearly locked in into making the three peat, and is not letting age hold him back. What, according to him, is his secret?
Travis credits Mahomes and Reid for his on-field success
The TE, in turn, has credited Mahomes and the freedom in Reid’s offense for his success on the field. In his acceptance speech for the Polsinelli Sportsman of the Year honor, Travis heaped praises on the QB and the head coach for their part in his success.
Kelce marveled at Mahomes’ boundless creativity, and suggested that playing with the talented QB motivates him to be creative himself too, injecting fun into the game.
He also praised Reid for empowering the team to improvise and make plays, saying, “The more stuff that Coach Reid lets us do, the more you’ll see out there on the field.”
In his view, the combination of Mahomes’ talent and Reid’s innovative play-calling has been the key to the Chiefs’ offensive fireworks and his own success too.
