Travis Kelce will turn 36 during this upcoming NFL season and stats show the Kansas City Chiefs star has lost a step. Last season he posted the lowest numbers of his career as a starter with 823 yards and three touchdowns; he caught 97 passes but averaged only 8.5 yards per reception, the first time he's ever averaged fewer than 10 yards per catch.
As the old saying goes, Father Time is undefeated. Chiefs GM Brett Veach understands this and gave a brutally honest quote about how Kelce's game will continue to change as he gets older.
"We've all seen it over the last few years," Veach said via ESPN's Adam Teicher. "There are periods throughout the season where you're like, 'This might be it.' But when the games are the most important and the lights are the brightest, he finds it somewhere."
"The great ones know how to find it," he continued. "They know where it's buried, and they know how to access it. And they can't access it at that age week in and week out, but when they need it, they know how to find it."
Kelce has earned a reputation for clutch play over the years and his elite ability to find open space in the defense suggests he'll be able to step up like Veach says despite declining athleticism. He did "find it" as Veach said in the postseason last year against the Houston Texans, when he recorded 117 yards receiving on seven catches and one touchdown. But he was effectively shut down in the AFC championship game and the blowout Super Bowl loss.
The Chiefs will need Kelce in big moments this season. Veach clearly believes he's ready for the challenge.
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