For the 12th time and in his 13th season, Travis Kelce has made his home in St. Joseph, Missouri, on the campus of Missouri Western State University. Kelce\u2019s life looks much different now than in Year 1.<\/p>\n
Widely regarded as a \u201cfuture Pro Football Hall of Famer,\u201d the tight end\u2019s IMDb page has begun to fill, most recently with Happy Gilmore 2. The \u201cNew Heights\u201d podcast he shares with his brother, Jason, has 2.5 million subscribers \u2014 and his ongoing relationship with the world\u2019s biggest pop star has bred a level of fame he surely never imagined.<\/p>\n
Yet, there he stood in front of media members on Wednesday after his 13th practice, content to be one of the guys with February dreams.<\/p>\n
[We\u2019re] trying to win Super Bowls, man,\u201c said Kelce. \u201d[Working hard is] the only way you get there. I think it starts in the offseason, and when you get out here to St. Joe and you get into training camp, it really signifies coming together \u2014 the chemistry, the culture that you need to have to keep getting better every single day, every single week throughout the year, and hopefully playing your best football by December, January, and February.\u201c<\/p>\n
Due to inclement weather on Wednesday, the Chiefs were forced to move practice into the indoor facility, providing a break from what on some days has been uncomfortable, blistering heat. Head coach Andy Reid is known for some of the league\u2019s most strenuous training-camp practices. For Kelce, it\u2019s the norm: he\u2019s never had it any other way.<\/p>\n
\u201cOnce you\u2019re here, it\u2019s all about football, man,\u201c said Kelce. \u201dYou eat, breathe and sleep football. You try and be there for the guys next to you \u2014 the new guys that are coming in, trying to get acclimated. It really hasn\u2019t changed since I\u2019ve been here. Coach Reid does a great job of putting a plan in place \u2014 putting a regimen in place [that] gives you a chance to succeed\u2026 and find out what you\u2019re made of.\u201c<\/p>\n
Entering his age-35 season, Kelce said he lost weight, hoping to regain some of the explosiveness he may have lost during 2024\u2019s campaign. Kelce began his career as a tight end for Alex Smith, but 2025 marks his eighth season as a target for two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes.<\/p>\n
The duo has now spent nearly a decade playing together, yet Kelce senses a new level of hunger from Mahomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cJust how fast his mind is moving \u2014 it seems like he\u2019s always a step ahead,\u201d said the tight end of his quarterback. \u201cHis arm is alive right now. It\u2019s fun to see him know the play, know where he\u2019s going before the snap happens. On top of that, just being a leader \u2014 being our biggest, fearless competitor. He\u2019s really leading this team right now, working hard and getting right.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kansas City hopes to transition Kelce to a complementary role this season, with wide receiver Rashee Rice as the focal point, whenever he gets back from an expected suspension. In addition, wide receiver Xavier Worthy is expected to take a step forward, and Noah Gray will already be in his fifth year as Kelce\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve been out here, you\u2019ve noticed how good Noah Gray\u2019s been, man,\u201d said Kelce. \u201cHe\u2019s really taken it up to the next level. He\u2019s an absolute stud. I don\u2019t think I\u2019ve seen him lose a single rep yet. He\u2019s awesome right now and it\u2019s fun to see him kind of take those next steps, getting higher and higher on the board.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gray appreciates the support, crediting his mentor for the ongoing guidance.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year, he just gets wiser and wiser,\u201d said Gray in late July. \u201cEvery year, he\u2019s continuing to pour into guys like me, the young guys\u2026 everybody, everybody in that room. We\u2019re just taking it all in. He just keeps giving more and more information about what he\u2019s seeing on the field. Watching him and his practice habits, and the way he works always rubs off on us. So, when you [have] a leader like that, that continues to lead the room, [and] continues to lead the team, it rubs off on everybody else and it makes a huge difference.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kelce refers to St. Joseph and Missouri Western State as his \u201csanctuary,\u201d his summer home where he and his friends \u2014 the coaches, players and even equipment staff members \u2014 reassemble to achieve their one common goal: another Super Bowl championship. It is grueling work, but it is easy to tell that it\u2019s that grind that Kelce understands will miss someday.<\/p>\n
Whether this is truly \u201cit\u201d or not, Kelce\u2019s end is far closer than the beginning \u2014 and having been there from the start makes this potential beginning-of-the-end all the sweeter.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think that gives me more juice than anything else, is the fact that we\u2019ve created this culture,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019ve created this machine. When you do it the right way, it works, and you get to win football games because of it. That alone gives you the excitement that what we\u2019re doing here is special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Returned to practice: N\/AOut of practice (due to injury): TE Jake Briningstool (out with hamstring since 7\/26), WR Hollywood Brown (out with ankle since 7\/30), LB Cam Jones (undisclosed since 8\/6) WR Rashee Rice (out with groin since 8\/6), LB Drue Tranquill (out with back since 8\/2)Left practice early (due to injury): N\/ANon-football injury (NFI) list: DL BJ ThompsonPhysically unable to perform (PUP) list: CB Kristian Fulton (out with knee since 7\/22)<\/p>\n
Our John Dixon compiled all of Wednesday\u2019s posts here<\/a>. Here is the post of the day:<\/p>\n I have a quiet hunch that this will be the opening-day rotation.<\/p>\n Tight end Travis Kelce on his favorite memory of St. Joseph, if it is indeed his last trip: \u201cAsk me that when I retire.\u201d<\/p>\n Tuesday\u2019s practice leads into the final practice of the week on Thursday at 9:15 a.m. Arrowhead Time. Following the practice, head coach Andy Reid will address the media while the entire team signs autographs. It is officially designated as a exclusive season-ticket holder day.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the complete 2025 training camp schedule<\/a>.<\/p>\n