Travis Kelce opens up on potential retirement
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been a star ever since he stepped onto the field in Kansas City. He will undoubtedly go down as one of best tight ends of all time, but he’s not getting any younger. The Chiefs star tight end has now opened up on the possibility of retiring.
The NFL has been a madhouse of injuries for the past two seasons. It seems like every week, one significant player is added to the injury reserve. The NFL is aging older and older each year, and our star players are getting more and more banged up. One reason is because of the turf fields the NFL refuses to replace, but also Kelce and a lot of older stars are getting more banged up and their bodies can’t take every single bump and bruise like they used to.
Technology and medicine will always advance year after year, but it doesn’t prevent injuries. It only helps them recover faster and faster.
Look at Aaron Rodgers, for example, with his Achilles injury. Only a few snaps into his New York Jets debut and he’s done for the season. Thanks to Kobe Bryant’s former doctor, Dr. ElAttrache of the Kerlan-Jobe Orthopaedic Clinic in Los Angeles, Calif., who helped Rodgers recover in an unworldly short amount of time.
Kelce has had a handle of injuries in his time in the NFL including a few concussions, ankle sprains and a history of knee injuries.
The eight-time pro bowler has said that injuries linger and he can almost feel every one of them to this day.
“That’s the only thing I’ve never really been open about … the discomfort. The pain. The lingering injuries — the 10 surgeries I’ve had,” he recently said to WSJ Magazine about retiring.
Tight end coach Tom Melvin has praised his No. 1 tight end in the past regarding his pain tolerance.
“He has phenomenal pain tolerance,” Melvin said. “He’s played through things that other athletes I’ve coached through the years have not been able to push through.”
It has been an up-and-down season for the former University of Cincinnati Bearcat, as the Chiefs have gotten him the ball, though he hasn’t been able to explode for many 100-yard games. Kelce has been seeing the targets all season long, as he’s been targeted over eight times in every game except one.
After a major loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Chiefs dropped (see what I did there) out of the AFC No. 1 seed. Kelce and the Chiefs are set to play their in-division foes–the Las Vegas Raiders–Sunday, Nov. 25 at 3:25 pm CT.
***
Subscribe to Vendetta’s Twitch
Subscribe to Vendetta’s YouTube
Check out the Vendetta Shop
Click here for more NFL content
