Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Despite entering the 2024 NFL season at 34 years old — and he will turn 35 in October — Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has made one thing abundantly clear to Kansas City’s coaching staff:
He wants the same workload that he typically gets.
“Wear and tear me, baby. I’m ready for it, man. Put the load on me,” Kelce said of his workload after the Chiefs’ first mandatory minicamp session on June 11. “I love being accountable for these — the men and women in this building, Chiefs Kingdom. I love the aspect of ‘everybody count on me to try to make a play for the team.’ Just doing the right things out on the field and better judgment for the team. I don’t think anything from last year put more miles on me, made me less of a player, I think it was all-in-all just focus, being my own worst critic, [and] capitalizing on situations that I should have.”
During the 2023 season, Kelce had his lowest receiving yardage total since 2015. Despite that, Kelce appears poised for a bounce-back year, even if he still managed to record over 900 yards during the 2023 season, which ranked second among all tight ends in the NFL.
Travis Kelce Will Play ‘Until the Wheels Fall Off’
Kelce is entering his 12th NFL season and has accomplished just about everything a player who plays in the NFL can dream of. But he’s still motivated to play until he cannot play anymore.
“I love coming to work every single day and doing this, so I am going to do it until the wheels fall off and hopefully that doesn’t happen anytime soon,” Kelce said. “I can’t put a time frame on it, man … Obviously I know that there’s opportunities outside of football for me and I think you’ve got to keep in perspective that I’m still a little kid when I come into this building. I know I’m 34 years old, about to be 35, but I have a love to do this right here in the middle of the heat in June.”
With a three-peat being the mission for the Chiefs this upcoming season, it should as no surprise that Kelce is showing plenty of juice this offseason. He and his teammates are trying to accomplish something that’s never been done in the NFL, and that would motivate anyone with a competitive drive.
Chiefs Attendance for First Day of Mandatory Minicamp
The first day of mandatory minicamp for the two-time defending Super Bowl champions included some notable absences: kicker Harrison Butker (illness), defensive end BJ Thompson (illness), and starting left guard Joe Thuney (pectoral). Pete Sweeney of Arrowhead Pride was at day one of minicamp and made note of the absences.
Per Sweeney, the players that were in attendance for day one of minicamp but did not practice were defensive tackle Derrick Nnadi, defensive end Charles Omenihu (ACL), and rookie wideout Xavier Worthy (hamstring). The players that were in attendance but practiced on a limited basis were linebacker Leo Chenal, running back Isiah Pacheco, and cornerback Jaylen Watson (offseason surgery).
Availability notes
Absent: Harrison Butker (illness), BJ Thompson (illness), Joe Thuney (pectoral)
Present but not practicing: Derrick Nnadi, Charles Omenihu (ACL), Xavier Worthy (hamstring)
Present but limited: Leo Chenal, Isiah Pacheco, Jaylen Watson (offseason surgery)
Kansas City will have its final two minicamp sessions on June 12 and June 13.