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“He Didn’t Want to Be Selfish”: Andy Reid Praises Down-to-Earth Travis Kelce as Chiefs Star TE Forgoes Making History

Published 01/07/2024, 11:00 PM EST

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Andy Reid loves his tight end! These days, there has been a lot of talk and speculation about Reid’s disappointment over Kelce’s underwhelming performance in the showdown against the Cincinnati Bengals. It even compelled Reid to refrain Kelce from the Week 18 showdown against the Chargers. But it seems that Reid had a different perspective on that matter.

This season, Kelce was not at his best and did not reach the much-anticipated 1000-yard mark as he had previously. It appears that he decided to deliberately forego achieving the feat. Meanwhile, from Reid’s recent statement, it seemed that his faith in his tight end remains intact. However, what specifically captivated Reid about Kelce?

Reid is impressed by Kelces’ humbleness!

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In the latest press conference, after the Kansas City Chiefs attained a stunning win over the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium, Andy Reid revealed his pride in the players. He said, “I was proud of our young guys.” The head coach seemed very happy with his Red Army for their jaw-dropping performance, as evidenced by this statement. However, in the middle of the conversation, a reporter asked his perspective on Kelce and why he rested Kelce for week 18.

Interestingly, Reid, in an emotional tone, revealed, “Yeah, Travis is a humble, humble guy, and so he is just different because of the financial part of it… with Chris. He didn’t want to be selfish or come across as selfish; I mean, all the players want him to play.” Moreover, what came as a shocker was that Kelce decided not to play for week 18.

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Often around the end of a regular season, most players ensure their individual goals are met without hurting the ultimate team plans. The Kansas City Chiefs had two such players with very different goals in their sights ahead of Sunday’s victory over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 18. The other player looking to reach a milestone in Week 18 was defensive tackle Chris Jones. He earned a $1.25 million bonus if he recorded 10 sacks this season and heading into Sunday’s matchup, Jones had tallied 9.5 sacks.

Reid said that most guys would have gone out and probably taken the opportunity to play, but quoting Travis, Reid revealed, ‘I’ve got a lot of records on this one here; I’m not going to do it this way.’ So he chose not to play.

USA Today via Reuters

However, Reid explained after the game that he let Jones play because he “wanted the opportunity,” as that extra $1.25 million payday, would help him.

Watch This Story: Amid Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce engagement rumors, speculations emerge, foreshadowing a gloomy end.

Although the head coach revealed his disappointment in Travis not taking part in the game, he finally said that it was the TE’s choice. This statement seemed to contradict what he had previously stated, where he seemed upset with Kelce.

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Was Reid hesitant about Kelce?

In the lead-up to the Week 18 game, Reid was asked about which player he would resort to against the Chargers. Reid seemed skeptical about Kelce and hesitant to talk about it, saying, “No, nothing is finalized yet, but we will see how it goes.” Then, it seemed that the Chiefs’s backbone was a little concerned about the result and upset about how Travis would perform in the upcoming matchup. Moreover, Kelce had suffered a toe injury. The decision didn’t come as a huge surprise. Risking an injury to the team’s best offensive player in a zero-consequence game would be a huge gamble.

Reid initially left the door open for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce to play on Sunday, but the 34-year-old was ultimately listed as inactive ahead of kickoff. According to the HC’s statement today, it was solely Travis’s decision to rest. However, it doesn’t seem to be a concern as the Chiefs have already earned their victory over the Chargers with a stunning razor-thin-gap score line of 12-13.

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However, it was assumed that Reid made the final call. Kelce suggested this on the January 5 episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother Jason Kelce. The Kansas City TE said, “I know Coach Reid is gonna do what’s best for the time and right now I’m not quite sure exactly how it’s gonna play out [and] if guys are gonna sit, what guys are gonna get elevated.”

Read More: Jaire Alexander Sits Out of the MNF Clash Between the Packers and the Giants.

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Written by:

Gargi Sengupta

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One take at a time

Every NFL fanatic has their "Eureka" story of how they got hooked on the game of tackles and touchdowns. Mine starts from the comfort of my home; sitting beside my dad, on a cozy couch, with a hot cup of tea. Well, that is all that was serene about that scene! The next thing I know, I am screaming and shouting and cheering for the players on the field.
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Vishav