‘He looked at me like I was insane’ — Chiefs TE Travis Kelce recalls NFL Draft story that will add to Browns fans’ perpetual misery originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
While Travis Kelce is all about Kansas City, he will never forget where he is from.
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The tight end is proud to be from Cleveland Heights, Ohio, so growing up, it was always his dream to play for the Cleveland Browns. And he even had the opportunity to meet with the team during a predraft visit. However, that meeting probably didn’t go as he had expected.
In an interview with GQ, they detailed how Kelce is “famously bad at hiding his emotions,” which was proven in his meeting with the Browns. The tight end told the outlet about his meeting with Rob Chudzinski, who was the head coach of the Browns at the time.
“I cried in Chud’s office and said, ‘I will f***ing die for this city!’ ” Kelce explained. “I literally was in tears. I said, ‘I’m sorry I’m getting emotional. I grew up down the street. I would fucking do anything to play for the Cleveland Browns.’ He looked at me like I was insane. I don’t think he’d ever had somebody just pour out their emotions.”
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Unfortunately (or fortunately depending on how you look at it), Cleveland ultimately passed on Kelce and he was selected by the Chiefs in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft. And for Kelce, that worked out as he has gone on to win three Super Bowls.
But for Browns fans, it’s probably not great to hear that one of the best tight ends in NFL history wanted nothing more than to play for Cleveland.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 12, 2025, where it first appeared.