“I know he’s getting older,” Andy Reid said in June. “He doesn’t know he’s getting older, but I do.” The Chiefs HC was, of course, talking about Travis Kelce. Joking, sure, but also hinting at something real. The plan going into camp was to gradually lighten the load on the 35-year-old tight end, build in more margin with a deeper receiver room, and let Kelce operate as more of a situational mismatch than a week-in, week-out workhorse. But that plan may already be out the window.
On July 17, wideout Rashee Rice pleaded guilty to two felony charges stemming from a 119-mph crash in Dallas that injured seven people. A league suspension is imminent. And while that alone forces Patrick Mahomes to adjust, as one of his top young receivers faces an absence. And with Kansas City staring down a brutal early schedule, the margin Reid was hoping to create around Kelce just got tighter.
“This Kansas City Chiefs offense doesn’t really revolve around one, two, or three star receivers,” Ryan Clark said on ESPN’s NFL Live on July 18, while breaking down Kansas City’s outlook for the upcoming season. “It’s really a receiver-by-committee approach. And so, whether it’s Rashee Rice being available or unavailable, Hollywood Brown being available or unavailable, all of a sudden, this team is still going 15 and two, no matter who’s on the field. It revolves around Travis Kelce. It revolves around Patrick Mahomes. And then when they need to, the running game.”
Travis Kelce is still the gravitational pull. And Andy Reid will go full throttle with him this season. And when the time comes, he needs to be ready to perform at his highest level. In 2024, Kelce put up 97 catches for 823 yards and 3 touchdowns. Yes, it was his lowest output in a full season since 2015, but he still led the team in targets.
Add 2023 to the picture, 93 catches, 984 yards, 5 touchdowns, and you’ve got 190 catches, 1807 yards, and 8 touchdowns over the past two regular seasons. Not bad for a guy supposedly slowing down. And then there are the playoffs. That’s still his stage. He’s the NFL’s all-time leader in postseason receptions and one of the few players who actually gets more dangerous when the stakes go up.
NFL, American Football Herren, USA Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs Dec 21, 2024 Kansas City, Missouri, USA Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid watches play against the Houston Texans during the second half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Kansas City GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium Missouri USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xDennyxMedleyx 20241221_dam_sm8_282
There’s talk every offseason about evolving the offense. About taking pressure off Kelce. About spreading it around. But as soon as the noise starts and the stability cracks, Mahomes looks for the guy he trusts most. It’s instinct. Or rather, rhythm and timing built over years of fire drills and broken plays.
Can Travis Kelce and the team survive double blows?
This wasn’t how the season was supposed to begin. Not for a team fresh off a Super Bowl loss. But even before training camp has opened fully, the Chiefs are facing two clear setbacks: one on the field and the other on the schedule.
Rashee Rice is now at risk of suspension after pleading guilty to two felony charges related to a high-speed crash in Dallas. And while the Chiefs have remained tight-lipped, the expectation around the league is growing. “Should be multiple games depending on who you talk to with the Chiefs,” Jeremy Fowler said on NFL Live. “I think it could be three or five. You know, they’re trying to figure that out. The clarity, though, will come from the league.”
No Rice means Mahomes has to work without his most productive wideout from 2023, at least for a stretch. And while Travis Kelce still draws gravity, this isn’t the receiving unit Reid envisioned when he talked about spreading the ball around.
The second setback? The early gauntlet of a schedule. According to ESPN Analytics, the Chiefs are projected to start 4-2 through their first six games. And this isn’t your usual soft landing. “They’ve got the Chargers, the Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore, and Detroit all coming to Arrowhead,” the show noted. “Common theme there, all playoff teams from a year ago.”
That’s not a warm-up. That’s trial by fire. Even at Arrowhead, these aren’t games the Chiefs can coast through. All four can match Kansas City punch for punch. So now, before the first snap is played, the Chiefs are navigating a likely suspension and a brutal stretch of opponents.
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