Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce during pregame warmups in 2022.
You hear some wild stories in this business but this one is somewhat new — and it involves Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce.
During an interview with NBC Sports EDGE and fantasy football analyst Matthew Berry, Philadelphia Eagles star wide receiver A.J. Brown revealed some inside information from the Tennessee Titans’ organizational fantasy league last season.
AJ Brown Reveals Trading Travis Kelce in Fantasy Football
A.J. Brown tells @MatthewBerryTMR how he had to acquire himself from his teammate in fantasy. 😂
In order to acquire himself, Brown had to trade the future Hall of Fame tight end, and his explanation was pretty funny.
“Of course,” Brown responded when Berry asked if he had himself on his fantasy roster. “I had to trade for myself. I had to trade Travis Kelce.”
“I’m sorry, Travis,” Brown continued while laughing, “I love you, but I had to get myself.”
You don’t often hear players admit to caring about fantasy football, but in the modern-day NFL, it’s apparently a thing. While Brown deserves some respect for betting on himself, dealing Kelce is never an advisable move. The top-tier tight end is basically a cheat code, considering how few of his TE peers replicate his stats on a yearly basis.
“I was in a league with my [Titans] teammates and they picked me first,” Brown reasoned, “and I had to trade Travis Kelce [in order to get the deal done]. My apologies, Travis.”
The Eagles playmaker outed offensive lineman Ben Jones as the Tennessee teammate that drafted him before Brown could do so himself. “That’s not cool!” Berry exclaimed, as the wideout smiled and laughed.
You do have to wonder why Jones didn’t just draft Kelce in the first place.
Andy Reid Recalls First Time He Knew Travis Kelce Would Be Great
During his December 13 press conference, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid was asked about Kelce and the first time he knew he was a special player.
“I thought he was really spectacular in college,” Reid replied. “Had a chance to see him first-hand… in college when he was playing against Temple where my son played. And then his brother [Jason Kelce], obviously, I had him and drafted him over in Philly.”
Reid continued: “I thought [to myself] watching him at Cincinnati — this kid has a chance to be really something special. And I know [ex-Chiefs general manager John] Dorsey agreed with that.”
Big Red ended the story there, but it is kind of wild to think about how prospects end up on certain teams. Anyone could have drafted Kelce, being that he went in the third round, and yet fate brought him to Kansas City.
Part of that destiny apparently involved Reid’s son and his history with center Jason Kelce, another potential Hall of Fame talent with the Eagles. If all of those stars don’t align, maybe Travis Kelce ends up somewhere else, and who knows if he becomes as good — although talent alone would suggest that he would become an above-average tight end within just about any organization.
Still, it’s an interesting conversation to ponder. For now, Kansas City and everyone else in Chiefs Kingdom can just take solace in the fact that Kelce wears red and gold. And unlike A.J. Brown, this franchise will never make the mistake of trading away the superstar tight end.