Prior to the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Los Angeles Chargers last weekend, Travis Kelce needed just 16 receiving yards in order to reach 1,000 for the year. If he had reached that mark, Kelce would have become the first tight end in NFL history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in eight straight seasons.
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Yet, despite knowing how close he was to making history, Kelce elected to sit out the game — and there are a few different reasons why.
When coach Andy Reid was asked why Kelce didn't suit up for his team on Sunday (which the Chiefs won 13-12), Reid said, "Travis is a humble, humble guy. ... He didn't want to be selfish, or come across as selfish. He just goes, 'You know what? I don't like the way it feels [to play for stats].' He's not into that. And so he chose not to play. And I completely understand it."
Andy Reid on Chris Jones playing & Travis Kelce not playing. He said that it was Travis' decision & he didn't want to come off as selfish & didn't like the way it felt. Andy also said that Chris playing was different because there was a financial component. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/tHsNAveow9
— Starcade Media (@StarcadeMediaKC) January 8, 2024
In addition, Reid noted that Kelce felt he would be better off giving his body some additional rest prior to the postseason — particularly because the Chargers game was essentially meaningless, as the Chiefs had already locked up the AFC's third seed.
All of which makes sense — although we now know another reason why Kelce elected not to play.
During the most recent episode Kelce's podcast "New Heights" (which he does with his brother, Jason), he noted an additional reason why he decided to sit out Sunday: to avoid Chargers star safety Derwin James.
No one's talking about the obvious reason Travis missed last week's game @Experian_US
NEW EPISODE OUT NOW: https://t.co/HhOj8Yopw5 pic.twitter.com/CcSaVsXa7o
— New Heights (@newheightshow) January 10, 2024
When Jason asked his brother why he sat out, Travis said, "I mean, is it not obvious? You think I was trying go out there and get f——— powerbombed by Derwin James again?"
Kelce is referring to the Chiefs-Chargers game on Sept. 15, 2022, when Kelce caught a Patrick Mahomes pass and was running toward the end zone, seemingly destined to score — until James got hold of him, picked him up and body-slammed him on the 2-yard line.
James' "powerbomb" tackle was a move that's more commonly seen in professional wrestling — which, while being something Kelce eventually wants to take part in, he clearly wasn't keen to replicate on Sunday.
While Kelce's response was obviously meant in jest — and he went on to echo everything that Reid said during his postgame media session — we can't blame Kelce for electing to rest instead of subjecting himself to that type of tackle.
We'd imagine Taylor Swift shares that sentiment, too.
