KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Andy Reid walked by way of Lincoln Monetary Discipline in Philadelphia the day earlier than a 2012 Week 10 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. This time, although, the then-Eagles head coach was a spectator. Reid’s youngest son, Spencer, and the Temple College Owls had been internet hosting the College of Cincinnati Bearcats.

Spencer was a redshirt freshman working again and finally did not see the sphere. However Reid nonetheless remembers that second Saturday in November. The Bearcats had a decent finish who caught his eye, the child brother of his middle, Jason Kelce.

The redshirt senior wasn’t spectacular for Cincinnati, catching 4 passes for 37 yards in opposition to Temple. However he was 260 kilos and will run.

Reid determined that day that he needed Travis Kelce as his tight finish.

“I assumed watching him at Cincinnati that this child had an opportunity to be one thing particular,” Reid stated. “I bear in mind he was a much bigger man however so clean. He had that swagger. I bear in mind considering, ‘This man can be nice within the offense that we run.'”

The Eagles fired Reid after the 2012 season, his 4-12 document the worst of his head-coaching profession. The next season he arrived in Kansas Metropolis, the place he has been Kelce’s head coach for each snap of his skilled profession.

Ten seasons later, Kelce has 10,344 receiving yards, the fourth most for a decent finish in NFL historical past, cementing his place as one of many greats at his place.

And at 33 years previous, Kelce continues to enhance. He is having top-of-the-line seasons of his profession, catching a personal-best 110 passes and 12 touchdowns. He added to his legacy within the Chiefs’ divisional spherical playoff win over the Jacksonville Jaguars final weekend, when the Chiefs wanted him essentially the most.

With quarterback Patrick Mahomes hobbled due to a excessive ankle sprain, and the Chiefs having to go along with backup quarterback Chad Henne for a collection, Kelce caught 14 passes, one fewer than the NFL postseason document, and scored two touchdowns within the Chiefs’ 27-20 win, a end result that despatched them on to Sunday’s AFC Championship Sport in opposition to the Cincinnati Bengals (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS).

“He is simply smarter as a participant,” Mahomes stated of Kelce’s continued enchancment at a complicated soccer age. “I believe that is the most important factor. He is aware of find out how to get himself open. He is aware of find out how to use different individuals and different elements of the idea to get himself open, and he is sensible about how he blocks, how he can pin guys and get in the precise place.

“He is simply continued to evolve and be even higher as a decent finish. He’s getting up there [in age]. I will attempt to preserve him right here so long as doable, I promise you. He isn’t taking any screens like 80 [yards] anymore, I do not suppose. However he is nonetheless going to make some manufacturing on the sphere.”

IT TOOK REID little time after becoming a member of the Chiefs to find out they’d a deficiency at tight finish. They’d had one ever since buying and selling Tony Gonzalez in 2009.

In his first draft as coach, Reid and the Chiefs drafted Kelce within the third spherical.

He did not play as a rookie after having microfracture surgery on his knee, however Kelce returned the subsequent season, and Reid’s ideas on him had been rapidly confirmed.

Within the 2014 preseason, Kelce took a brief move and outran 4 Bengals defensive backs for a 69-yard landing.

“At that time, I stated, ‘Effectively, this child’s bought one thing to him,'” Chiefs tight ends coach Tom Melvin stated.

Kelce’s profession rapidly took off. He caught 67 and 72 passes his first two seasons and hasn’t been beneath 80 receptions or 1,000 yards since.

He might need accomplished higher in these early seasons had he not let his feelings get in the way in which. Kelce acquired quite a lot of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, was fined by the NFL six instances and was even ejected from a 2016 recreation in opposition to the Jaguars for throwing a towel at an official.

“We form of needed to reel him in somewhat bit,” stated Jacksonville coach Doug Pederson, who was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator when Kelce arrived. “He is excitable. As soon as you bought him targeted on his craft — the way in which he runs routes, the way in which he can wiggle and slither and get open and the toughness that he performs with — these had been all issues that we noticed or I noticed at an early stage of his profession that led you to consider he may have an awesome profession on this league.”

Since 2017, Kelce has been fined by the NFL simply as soon as, for dunking the ball over the goalpost in a 2020 recreation in opposition to the New York Jets.

“He can undoubtedly nonetheless get somewhat bit loopy at instances, however that is in all probability getting older I really feel like,” stated Jason Kelce, whose Eagles superior to the NFC Championship Sport on Saturday. “Testosterone begins to go down and also you cease shedding your s— as a lot as you used to. However he is doing good. I believe he is matured rather a lot, particularly since faculty.”

Now, Kelce is likely one of the veteran leaders in Kansas Metropolis. That was on show in Saturday’s win as he helped a backup quarterback ship a landing move. He additionally has turn out to be a mentor to younger gamers.

“Having Travis Kelce within the room is large. I’ve at all times stated that I have been grateful for that,” Chiefs tight finish Noah Gray stated. “There’s rather a lot which you could be taught from him, whether or not it is route working, even within the run-blocking recreation or pass-blocking recreation. There’s rather a lot that he is been capable of train me. He does an awesome job of watching everybody’s reps, in order that’s been actually useful to have an older man like that be actually tuned in to stuff like that.”

Gonzalez stays the all-time chief amongst tight ends in yards (15,127), receptions (1,325) and touchdowns (111). Kelce is the one lively tight finish among the many high 4 in yards, and his longevity may assist him catch Gonzalez.

Former Patriots and Bucs tight finish Rob Gronkowski is the single-season landing holder for tight ends with 17 and jokingly stated he fears Kelce breaking his mark.

“I used to be simply on his podcast the opposite day and I instructed him, ‘Hey, man, it is nice what you are doing for the place,'” Gronkowski stated. “However I stated, ‘You are not allowed to interrupt one document — my tight-end landing document.’ He can break all of them, however that one’s not allowed.

“He’s simply so savvy in his route-running talents. How free he’s; I’d say that additionally contributes to why he has by no means missed a recreation. You possibly can inform simply the way in which that he runs — he is tremendous free, tremendous free. His physique is simply very spongy when he is on the market taking part in — simply the way in which he runs routes and will get open is tremendous spectacular. He has had seven 1,000-yard seasons in a row — for a decent finish, by no means been accomplished — it is simply unbelievable.”

SINCE HIS ROOKIE season, Kelce hasn’t missed a recreation due to harm. He sat out the ultimate regular-season video games in 2017 and 2020 after the Chiefs had clinched a playoff seed and opted to relaxation Kelce and another starters.

That does not imply Kelce has at all times been injury-free. He at instances has performed by way of accidents that required postseason surgical procedure, prompting Melvin, an NFL teaching veteran, to say, “He has the best ache tolerance and is likely one of the hardest youngsters that I’ve ever coached.”

Kelce chalked up his means to remain within the lineup to luck, saying, “There are such a lot of variables that go into that. It is exhausting to pinpoint that. I simply attempt to go to work and ensure I am prepared for any state of affairs.”

Others who play his place say it is outstanding for a decent finish to have such sturdiness. Based on his brother, Kelce stays prepared by using a group to maintain him wholesome. He has a chiropractor, chef, masseuse and coach.

“Taking part in in each single recreation, not lots of guys can do it,” stated 49ers tight finish George Kittle, who has missed 16 video games in his six-year NFL profession. “Being out there for each single recreation it doesn’t matter what he is coping with, I believe that is a testomony to — you see all of his stats, you see how he performs — but it surely’s only a testomony to his character as a result of he is in all probability grinded by way of some stuff. All people offers with sure accidents, however to play in each single soccer recreation out there in addition to your rookie season, it is unimaginable.”

The Chiefs do not give Kelce any veteran relaxation days at follow. He is on the sphere when they’re.

“We monitor his reps,” offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy stated. “We need not see Kelce each play in follow … however when he is in there, he is maximizing the chance. He isn’t taking it without any consideration. He is doing all of the little and vital issues that we’re harping on with among the newer guys to verify they perceive the tradition that we have constructed so far as ending, so far as detailing, so far as understanding how we follow.

“When he does get a chance and he catches it, you will see Kelce at his age catching it and taking it the gap. It is not by likelihood that Kelce is making these performs on recreation day. You see it day by day in follow.”

Although Kelce would not contemplate it outstanding that he hasn’t missed a recreation due to harm in 9 seasons, he does appear impressed with what he is conducting at 33. He referenced his game-winning landing in opposition to the Los Angeles Chargers within the ultimate minute of Week 11, a 17-yard catch.

Kelce lined up on the precise facet after which crossed the formation, working away from a high protection security, Derwin James.

“I beat him with my legs, these 33-year-old legs,” Kelce stated afterward.

The Chiefs wanted an enormous season from Kelce as a lot, if no more, than ever after buying and selling broad receiver Tyreek Hill. Kelce acknowledged some preliminary concern about how the offense would possibly function and the way efficient he may be, however that dissipated on the Chiefs’ first drive of the season within the opening recreation in opposition to the Arizona Cardinals.

Kelce scored the Chiefs’ first landing on a 9-yard catch and later indicated the season energized him in a method he did not absolutely anticipate.

“I believe I get excited for a brand new recreation plan greater than something,” Kelce stated. “How are we going to assault these guys? How can I visualize how I will assault my opponent all week lengthy and all the varied outcomes that might come on any given play? That is what you get fired up for.”

The landing in Arizona set the tone for the remainder of the season. The sport was the primary of his six with not less than 100 yards. Kelce led the Chiefs in catches in 12 of their 17 video games and in receiving yards in 9. He had 4 touchdowns in a Week 5 recreation in opposition to the Raiders, and the Chiefs wanted each one to take a one-point win.

This season is one other reminder of why the Chiefs made Kelce one in all their first draft picks after hiring Reid as coach 10 years in the past.

“Each single day, it would not matter if it was my first day on the job or a day like right now,” Kelce stated after the Arizona recreation. “I at all times really feel like I’ve one thing to show, and I at all times really feel like I need to take my recreation to the subsequent degree. It is simply the mentality I’ve at all times had and simply preserve getting higher to good my craft.”

ESPN’s Tim McManus, Mike Reiss and Nick Wagoner contributed to this report.