Mike Francesa mentioned it might be “foolish” for the Chiefs and head coach Andy Reid to not query Travis Kelce’s dedication to soccer whereas he’s “prancing across the globe” together with his girlfriend Taylor Swift.
Through the newest installment of the “Mike Francesa Podcast,” the host mentioned how the Chiefs tight finish’s efficiency has dramatically fallen off, and recommended he could also be distracted by fame in his twelfth NFL season.
“As a company and as a coach, you would need to query how devoted Kelce is to the game proper now,” Francesa mentioned. “He has lots happening in his life. His life has taken a radical change. You see him in commercials, you see him in photograph ops, you see him now very aware of how he’s dressed… and the place the paparazzi are and every little thing else.
“It modified his life. And also you marvel, the place does soccer and the place does soccer preparation enter into that.”
Kelce and Swift, each 34, began courting final summer time, and went public with their relationship after they stepped out collectively holding arms in New York Metropolis in October.
Since then, Kelce has starred in numerous commercials and landed tv gigs, in addition to the duvet of WSJ. Journal. He’s set to host the forthcoming collection “Are You Smarter Than A Celeb?” on Amazon.
However Kelce hasn’t been as profitable on the sphere to start out the 2024 NFL season.
He now has eight catches for 69 yards and 0 touchdowns heading into Week 4.
“Whenever you see safeties strip the ball out of his arms in large spots, whenever you see listless sample working from him, whenever you see him be a non-factor sport after sport, which is puzzling — however once more, how a lot of that’s on him?” Francesa mentioned.
“How a lot of that’s on his preparation and dedication? And it’s truthful to convey that full circle and to say that?”
“… Clearly at this stage of his profession, you marvel the place he’s in his dedication, in his preparation, as a result of his efficiency has fallen off dramatically. And it’s not simply, ‘oh the Chiefs are going away from Kelce.’ It’s greater than that.
“… It’s extraordinarily human. His life has modified. He’s now prancing across the globe with one of the vital well-known individuals on the planet. His life is a photograph op.”
Francesa went on to elucidate that the Chiefs star’s large brother Jason Kelce waited till after his NFL retirement in March to concentrate on his alternatives off of the sphere.
In August, the brothers signed a $100 million cope with Amazon to deal with their “New Heights” podcast.
“What he’s acquired on is a subject of dialog. He’s doing commercials together with his brother who’s not within the sport. His brother now can fear about being a character and doing commercials and appearances and the podcast as a result of he’s not taking part in anymore,” Francesa mentioned.
“However no person anticipated [Travis] Kelce to not play anymore. And proper now, he’s not taking part in value a rattling and it simply brings up very professional questions.”
Francesa added that it “could be loopy” to assume Kelce’s life off of the sphere hasn’t impacted his sport, though he’s not shut sufficient to the state of affairs to know for certain.
“However how a lot does that imply to the Chiefs who simply proceed to discover a approach [to win close games against the Ravens and Bengals],” he mentioned.
Kelce was barely an element within the Chiefs’ third straight win to start out the season.
The three-time Tremendous Bowl champ, who was restricted within the passing sport in Kansas Metropolis’s first two wins, completed with 4 catches on 5 targets for 30 yards in the Chiefs’ 22-17 victory over the Falcons in Atlanta on Sunday night time.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, who’s Kelce’s finest buddy off the sphere, defined that the nine-time Professional Bowler hasn’t been open as a lot as a result of groups are emphasizing their protection on Kelce.
“It’s loopy as a result of groups nonetheless — the respect issue they’ve for Travis is simply unreal. It’s well-deserved,” Mahomes mentioned after Sunday’s win over Atlanta. “We’re calling a number of performs for Travis and it’s like two or three individuals are going to him. He understands — that’s the beauty of him is he desires to make an impression on the sport however he desires to win on the finish of the day.
“I’m gonna attempt to do my finest to maintain feeding him the ball every time he’s there, every time he’s open. I feel the extra [second-year wideout] Rashee [Rice] makes performs, the extra we’re in a position to run the soccer, the extra we are able to get [receiver Xavier] Worthy concerned, I feel that’s going to open Travis up extra. Individuals are actually emphasizing making an attempt to take him away and that’s getting different guys open.”
Kelce additionally addressed his gradual begin on his “New Heights” podcast following Week 2.
“I used to get actually, actually pissed off and nearly lose my cool a number of the time from not having that success figuring out that I demand that out of myself and I identical to to play the sport to such a excessive degree of accountability that it’s simply robust for me to cope with being mediocre or having stats that symbolize that,” Kelce mentioned final Wednesday.
“For no matter cause, these previous two video games it hasn’t gone that approach for me and that’s soccer, man. I’m not about to take a seat right here and get annoyed about it.”
Kelce agreed to a contract extension with the Chiefs in April by way of 2025 that can make him the NFL’s highest-paid tight finish.
The deal is a two-year tack-on to his present deal for $34.25 million, based on NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero.
The Chiefs (3-0) face the Chargers (2-1) in Los Angeles on Sept. 29.