Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is taking a hit to his wallet after last week’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
The NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported that the league handed down a fine for the Chiefs tight end after a questionable celebration in the game. Kelce is no stranger to fines, having faced past punishments for celebrations and controversial gestures.
Travis Kelce’s Celebration Crossed the Line
As Pelissero reported, the league handed Kelce a five-figure fine for a celebration where he mimicked a private area of his body.
The NFL fined #Chiefs TE Travis Kelce $14,491 for unsportsmanlike conduct/obscene gestures last week. The gesture was … well, you can figure it out,” Pelissero shared in a post on X that included a video of the play.
The play was not flagged at the time, though it caught the attention of some fans and reporters. Many of them predicted that the league would revisit the play and hand down a fine for Kelce, following with the NFL’s efforts to crack down on obscene and questionable gestures.
The Chiefs went on to lose the game, falling to 0-2.
Kelce has struggled so far this season, racking up six catches for 108 yards and one touchdown but also making some big miscues. In last week’s loss to the Eagles, he dropped a pass at the goalline that bounced into the hands of safety Andrew Mukuba for an interception.
Kelce said this week that he needed to be better prepared for the pass.
“The ball was where it needed to be, when it needed to be there,” Kelce told his brother during their podcast this week. “I’ve just got to get my head around out of the break, and I shot you that text telling you that. It’s one of those plays where it happens bang-bang. I know that’s the window it needs to be in. I know it’s coming out of armpits and earholes of the offense and defensive line getting their hands up. I’ve just got to be able to get my head up right now so I don’t put myself in a position to let the ball surprise me like that.”
Travis Kelce Has Faced Past Fines
This is the third fine that Kelce has faced in this calendar year. He was also handed a fine in January for dunking over the bottom bar of the goalpost following a touchdown against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk noted, the touchdown was the 77th of Kelce’s career and moved him ahead of Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez in the franchise record books. The dunk was an homage to Gonzalez, Smith noted — but one that has since been outlawed by the NFL.
“Throughout his career, Gonzalez made the goal post dunk his signature move, and some other players emulated him,” Smith wrote. But in 2013, Saints tight end Jimmy Graham caused a game to be delayed when he knocked the goal post off balance with a dunk, and in the following offseason the NFL made the move a penalty.
Gonzalez had encouraged Kelce to emulate his celebration, saying if the Chiefs tight end broke his franchise touchdown record and dunked over the goalpost, he would pay the fine.
Kelce was also handed a fine for taunting Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin after quarterback Patrick Mahomes ran for a touchdown in the AFC Championship game.
NFL Makes Decision on Punishment for Travis Kelce’s Questionable Move