Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid had already seen what Jason Kelce could become when he evaluated his younger brother, Travis Kelce. Years later, the Chiefs coach revealed whether that connection would have changed his decision to draft Travis.

Speaking on a May 2023 episode of the New Heights podcast, Reid looked back at how he evaluated both Kelce brothers. Jason asked his former coach whether Travis would have been drafted if Reid hadn't already known him through Philadelphia.

“That would have been tough. If you (Jason) were in the league, I still would have called you,” Reid said. “I would have called you and checked on him (Travis) just to make sure, because I had heard the rumors about him.”

Reid acknowledged that there were concerns surrounding Travis before Kansas City selected him. Those concerns did not stop the coach from giving the tight end an opportunity, but Reid admitted the early reports weren't completely off base.

“Like I said in the first five years, those rumors were pretty close,” Reid said on the New Heights podcast (YouTube) on May 10, 2023. 

The rest of Travis' Chiefs career gave Reid a very different player to describe. 

“For the next five years, they've been awesome,” Reid said. “I've watched him (Travis) blossom into a leader. He's always been a great player, but a tremendous leader, big heart. Teammates love him.”

Reid drafted Jason in the sixth round of the 2011 NFL Draft while he was coaching the Philadelphia Eagles. Jason spent his entire career in Philadelphia and became one of the franchise's most decorated players.

Two years later, Reid was in Kansas City when the Chiefs selected Travis in the third round. The coach had a personal connection to the family, but the younger Kelce still had to prove the concerns surrounding him weren't going to define his career.

That faith has continued to pay off for Reid more than a decade later.

Andy Reid had to pull Travis Kelce from practice

Reid saw another side of Travis during Kansas City's training camp this summer. The coach singled out the 36-year-old tight end while discussing the example veterans were setting for a younger Chiefs roster.

“You have examples like Kelce — he's the oldest guy on the team and came out every day and worked to where you had to yank him out of there to give him a breather,” Reid told reporters on August 21.

The workload caught the attention of linebacker Nick Bolton, too. Bolton said there were “no excuses” when the oldest player on the team was still running routes and called it “fun to watch.”

Kelce is heading into his 14th NFL season, and Reid's comments suggest his approach to preparation hasn't changed much.

Kansas City will open the regular season against the Denver Broncos on September 14.

Written by

Evince Das

Edited by

Rudra Dubey