The Kansas City Chiefs are taking a victory lap for drafting Travis Kelce, more than a decade after the 2013 signing.
The four-time Super Bowl champs shared a video from the 2013 NFL Draft via Instagram on Thursday, April 17, showing the moment they drafted the tight end — then a senior on the Cincinnati Bearcats.
In the video, Kelce, now 35, appeared to know his name was about to be called. As Chiefs CEO and President Clark Hunt stepped up to the podium, Kelce watched intently while someone sitting to his right recorded the TV screen on their phone.
“With the 63rd pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Kansas City Chiefs select Travis Kelce,” Hunt said into the microphone.
Kelce rose in celebration before Hunt even said his name, embracing his mom, Donna Kelce, as the rest of the room cheered.
“This pick worked out, right @killatrav? 🤝,” the Chiefs wrote in the caption of their Thursday post.
“And the rest is history,” the “New Heights” podcast replied to the post. Travis and his brother, Jason Kelce, have cohosted the popular podcast since 2022.
After an injury limited Travis’ impact in his rookie season, he came back in 2014 to start 11 of the team’s 16 games. He became a full-time starter the next year, earning his first of 10 straight Pro Bowl honors. During Travis’ tenure, the Chiefs have won three Super Bowl rings and finished with a winning record every season.
Now nearing the end of his career, Travis considered retirement after the Chiefs fell short in the Super Bowl LIX in February.
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year and right now I’m just kicking everything down the road,” he said during an episode of “New Heights” days after the Super Bowl. “I’m not making any crazy decisions but right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding [there’s] a lot that goes into this thing.”
Two weeks later, ESPN personality Pat McAfee read a text message from Travis on his show in which the tight end confirmed he would return to the Chiefs.
“[I’m] gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop,” he said, according to McAfee, 37.
The message continued, “Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”
Travis will be in the second year of a two-year contract he signed with Kansas City, worth $34.25 million.
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