Travis Kelce Responds To Backlash Over Slow Start After Busy Offseason

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce claimed he had no concerns about his slow start to the 2024 NFL season after appearing to look miserable on the sideline in a viral photo captured during the broadcast of his team's Sunday Night Football win against the Atlanta Falcons.

“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league, man, I’m not worried about the catches and the yards, and all of that, I have the most fun when I get the ball thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t?” Kelce said during the latest episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother and co-host, former Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro tight end turned ESPN analyst Jason Kelce , released on Wednesday (September 25). “It has everything to do with execution and just making sure we’re doing everything we can to win these football games, that’s always going to be the goal.”

Kelce, 34, who ranks as fourth among NFL tight ends in career receptions (915) and yards (11,397), as well as tied for fifth at the position in career touchdown receptions (74), was limited to four catches for 30 yards Sunday night and has eight receptions for 69 yards and zero touchdowns through his first three games of his 12th NFL season. The slump led to backlash from critics acknowledging the future Hall of Famer's busy offseason, which included traveling internationally with his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift , as well as his own on-screen roles .

Kelce, however, said he's more focused on the Chiefs' 3-0 start, rather than his own uncharacteristic lack of production.

“Whatever it is, it’s football, baby. I’m not getting caught up in getting the targets and all that, I just want to have a successful offense and I think Pat [ Mahomes ] is doing a great job of finding the open guy and making the right decisions right now, and we have to keep finding, it’s a new offense, new players, new pieces and we’re just finding how to have success throughout the season,” Kelce said.

“As an offense, you’re going to go through these ups and downs throughout the season and you just want to make sure that you clean up all the mistakes, you’re making sure that you’re communicating so that everybody understands exactly where we’re going moving forward. Nobody does it better than coach [Andy] Reid and Pat Mahomes in that regard.”

Kelce did, however, previously say he was "really pissed off" over his first two disappointing starts during last week's episode of New Heights .

“For whatever reason, these past two games it hasn’t gone that way for me and that’s football, man,” Kelce said on the episode released Sept. 18. “I’m not about to sit here and get frustrated about it.”

“You think about it more play by play and what your job is on that specific play and I think just moving forward, how can I be better in those moments?” he added at the time. “Am I not getting out of my route fast enough? Whatever the situation may be, it’s all play-specific anyways, but you’re always looking at the film, looking at the scheme and trying to perfect it more and more each week.”