Jason Kelce is defending his brother, Travis Kelce.
Jason, 36, admitted that it’s hard for him to witness Travis, 34, facing criticism for getting off to a slow start this football season.
“There ain’t nobody that I’ve ever played sports with and nobody that anybody’s ever been on a team with that’s loved being out there [more than] Trav,” the former Philadelphia Eagles center said during the Wednesday, September 25, episode of his and Travis’ “New Heights” podcast. “It’s frustrating for me to have to watch and listen to, but I can’t wait for it to turn.”
Jason told his brother that it’s “gonna go your way, especially if you freaking keep being the guy you’ve always been.”
Although the Kansas City Chiefs are currently 3-0, Travis has made headlines for his lack of scoring, with just eight catches overall so far this season. Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay put the tight end on blast during a Monday, September 23, appearance on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast,” suggesting that Travis spending time with girlfriend Taylor Swift has thrown him off his game.
“Every broadcast I’ve watched for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?” McShay said. “That he’s been partying all offseason? [That] he’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world, that he’s drinking, going to the U.S. Open, he’s got cocktails in?”
Travis weighed in on the backlash on Wednesday, admitting that the Chiefs are “not playing our best football” and “everybody” on the team “can clean it up” moving forward. He noted that he hasn’t been “getting a lot of opportunities to make plays down the field” because of the other teams’ defenses but said he was “not using that as an excuse.”
“[I’m] still trying to make sure that I can help the team out in that regard, knowing that I’ve been that weapon for us in the past,” he said. “Moving forward, it’s just everyone’s tweaking their game in the right direction. We know what we have to do to get better this week.”
Travis also said that he’s more focused on Chiefs victories than personal glory.
“I’ve had a lot of catches in this league. I’m not worried about the catches and the yards and all of that,” he said. “I have the most fun when the ball gets thrown my way, I mean, who doesn’t? But it has everything to do with execution [and] just making sure we’re doing whatever we can to win these football games.”
Jason isn’t the only one who has come to Travis’ defense this season. Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this week that the team has “all the confidence in the world” in Travis, no matter what his critics say.
“Confidence in him is sky high, always,” Karlaftis, 23, continued. “I’ve witnessed Travis firsthand for almost three years now. There’s not a lot of people I have more respect for than him — not just as a football player, but as a guy and as a human being.”
Karlaftis also hinted at the increased scrutiny Travis has been under since he began dating Swift, 34, in the summer of 2023.
“It’s amazing to see how he’s dealt with everything and still been able to come to work,” he said. “With all the stuff going on, he comes and he works and he loves it.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes also sang Travis’ praises during a Sunday, September 22, press conference.
“The team’s still — the respect factor they have for Travis is just unreal,” he told reporters. “It’s well-deserved, but we’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people are going to him.”
Mahomes, 29, added that Travis “understands” when the opposing team’s defense makes it difficult to pass to him.
“I think 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,” he explained. “I’m going to try to keep doing my best to keep feeding him the ball whenever he’s there, whenever he’s open.”
