Travis Kelce and Mitch Morse might be NFL rivals now, but they are still friends first.
After Kelce and Morse’s respective Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars teams played one another on Saturday, August 10, the two men embraced on the field. At the end of the game, Kelce, 34, ran over to Morse, 32, to chat with his former teammate.
Kelce pulled in Morse, who left the Chiefs in 2019 for free agency, for a friendly bear hug while exchanging whispers. In the end, Kelce gave Morse a final handshake before they retreated to their respective locker rooms.
Saturday was the Chiefs’ first NFL preseason game, which they lost 13-26 during an away game at the EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida.
Former teammates and great friends 🥹 @tkelce | @mithenmor60#KCvsJAX pic.twitter.com/OaNzzSCjPK
— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2024
The NFL season officially starts in September after a series of preseason games in training camp. For Kelce, he thinks of camp as his “sanctuary.”
“I enjoy it, man, there’s something about this place that gets you ready every single year,” Kelce gushed during a July 27 press conference. “Not gonna lie, [I] got pretty excited as the time started counting down to get out here and get the ball rolling.”
He added, “It’s where it all starts. You wanna get that foundation set in the offseason of that leadership and that mentality and things like that. But, at the end of the day, this is where you really find out where the team is made of, how you sharpen the iron, how you guys practice, your practice habits, attention to detail and nobody does it better than Coach [Andy] Reid.”
Kelce and the Chiefs are hoping to score their third consecutive Super Bowl trophy at the end of the 2024-2025 season after clinching the Lombardi Trophy back-to-back in 2023 and 2024.
In order to make it all the way to the championship, Kelce needed to get his body “right” after his offseason break.
“Last year was pretty taxing on my body and I mean, it is what it is. I’ve had more snaps than a lot of the guys, if not anybody in the NFL, over the past five [or] six years,” he told reporters during training camp late last month. “I’m very fortunate, and very prideful of that. But, I know it has taken a toll on my body, so it’s just making sure that my body’s getting that rest and that ability to train harder and be able to withstand an entire 17- to 20-game season.”
