Kansas City Chiefs stars fear Travis Kelce could be benched by Andy Reid with struggling TE ‘knowing’ he’s in trouble

TRAVIS KELCE is off to the worst start of his NFL career, and it is startling to those who play alongside him.

With just 69 receiving yards and no touchdowns on the season, it’s getting late early for the superstar tight end .

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Getty

“Nobody expected him to be struggling that much since the beginning of the season,” a source close to the Chiefs star told The U.S Sun.

“But he has to bounce back as soon as possible as there is a possibility, a big possibility, and he knows it, he feels it, that he can be benched by coach Reid soon if he doesn’t turn things around.”

Kelce has been seen looking defeated on the sideline during Chiefs games as he struggles to make an impact on the game.

On Sunday he caught four passes for 30 yards, and in Week 2 he caught just one pass for five yards.

With no touchdowns under his belt and little yardage to his name, Kelce needs to find some production quickly.

“He seems to lack confidence compared to last season as he can’t get his dynamic going since the beginning of the season,” the source continued.

“Even if he says that the most important is that the team wins, we need him, and we need him to play at his level very soon, because the pressure on him will keep going higher and higher, as people expect him to deliver week in and week out.”

Kelce is trying his best to be better, and has put on a happy face to the media by saying winning is the most important thing.

But his job could be at risk soon.

With all the extra eyes on him from the Taylor Swift fame, he could be feeling extra pressure to perform well.

“He has been pretty bad since the beginning of the season, and he knows it,” the source said.

“He spends more hours in the gym, does extra sessions, and puts all the work to turn things around.

“He is a superstar, he has all the attention and when things don’t go your way, you feel more pressure, and you lose some confidence, that is for sure.

“Him being a superstar and being on every spotlight with his private life makes him even more scrutinized, and sometimes, it can be heavy to deal with probably.”

Despite signing another extension to his contract this offseason, Kelce isn’t safe from being benched during his struggles.

Kelce signed a deal to become the league’s highest-paid tight end, earning $17.125 per average each season.

The deal carries through the 2025 season, so he only has one more year after this season, and he could regress to a backup role if he doesn’t find his old magic soon.

“There are other guys that are pushing to play, and coach Reid wouldn’t be scared to put him on the bench if he keeps playing at such a low level, far from what he is capable of,” the source said.

'A great escape'

Kelce and Swift have been constant presences at each other’s events, and Reid shared that he thinks they enjoy getting out of the spotlight.

“He can handle it. I think there’s a great escape for him,” Reid told the Athletic.

“I said that about Taylor too. I mean, she comes to the game, she can kind of escape having to be the show.

“And when he goes to her concerts, she’s the star and he can be hanging out there and be the support or the waterboy.”

“Travis feels that this possibility could happen to him soon if his level of performance doesn’t get higher, if he doesn’t play better as soon as possible.

“We see him more frustrated lately than before in practice, and he isn’t happy with his level of performance so far, and that has some impact on the team as we need him, and he knows that he needs to get it together and be the Travis Kelce he was last season and the ones before: a fantastic player.”

Things aren’t going well for Kelce, but he still has members of his squad on his side.

Patrick Mahomes has come out in support of Kelce, saying he is going to continue giving him opportunities to succeed.

“I mean, the respect factor they have for Travis is still unreal, and it’s well deserved,” Mahomes said.

“We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis and it’s like two or three people are going to him.

“He understands. That’s the great thing about him.

“He wants to make an impact on the game but he wants to win at the end of the day.

“I’m going to try and do my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open.”

Reuters