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As the saying goes, patience is a virtue, and it’s that quality that’s allowed Travis Kelce to fulfill his potential.
It would be an understatement to say you need patience to be an NFL head coach.
It’d also be accurate to say that Kansas Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has that in spades given his long and distinguished career.
Reid watched Kelce play for the Cincinnati Bearcats years ago.
“He was being Travis, being cocky,” Reid said of Kelce in college. “Jiminy, he was cocky.”
The Chiefs head coach knew he’d have to be patient to get the best out of Kelce, drafting him at #63 in 2013
Looking at Kelce’s NFL resume now, you’d assume he was naturally destined for greatness.
However, his energy and attitude in college got him into trouble.
Kelce missed the entire 2010 campaign for the Bearcats through suspension, making just 14 catches for 153 yards and two touchdowns combined in 2009 and 2011.
In his final year of college, Kelce put up 722 yards receiving, with 45 catches, finding the end zone four times.
Over a decade later, Reid’s faith in his ability has paid off.
Kelce’s a nine-time Pro Bowler, a First-team All-Pro tight-end four times and surely will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he calls it quits.
Family First
Meanwhile, Kelce still has moments where he loses his cool, as evidenced by throwing his helmet in frustration versus the Titans in 2022.
Kelce’s teammate Patrick Mahomes says it’s not just Reid’s coaching that’s been valuable but also his family approach.
“He makes Travis a great football player, but, I think, even a better person. He has a good feel for getting on Travis when he needs that motivation, but at the same time, he lets Travis be who he is.”
“One of the hardest things for me was to juggle enjoying my life off the field and still being a professional and ready and at the top of my game week in and week out,” says Kelce.
“A lot of that was Coach Reid sitting me down, talking with me and guiding me through all of it. I was testing it with him.”
Kelce says, thanks to Reid, football is the only place in his life where he’s really dialled in.
In his previous coaching stop with the Philadelphia Eagles, Reid was familiar with Travis through his brother Jason Kelce.
Reid admits it might have been difficult to go after Travis if not for his connection with Jason.
To this stage of Travis’ NFL career, he’s been flagged for six unsportsmanlike conduct penalties with one ejection.
That is a small price to pay with the return on his investment.
He had seven successive 1,000-yard campaigns before this year, the longest stretch with that milestone at his position.
Kelce’s been equally as sharp in the postseason, with the most TD playoff catches in NFL history (16) and more postseason receptions than anyone (133).