Chiefs’ Travis Kelce Says He’s ‘QB at Heart’ After Highlight-Reel Lateral vs. Saints

Andrew PetersOctober 10, 2024

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Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce has made laterals one of his signature moves over the past few years, the most recent one coming on Monday against the New Orleans Saints.

While he’s become one of the best tight ends in NFL history, Kelce once had dreams of playing quarterback. Perhaps that’s why he integrates things like laterals into his game.

“I’m a quarterback at heart,” Kelce told the Associated Press’ Alicia Rancilo. “I can’t throw anymore but I loved having the ball in my hands every single play. Over the course of my career, I’ve found that tight end just kind of suits my athleticism and my mentality better. I’m not a guy that likes to live by a lot of rules or have a lot of parameters and you need that to be a quarterback.”

NFL @NFLKelce with the pitch on 3rd & 22 😂

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Kelce’s IQ sometimes resembles that of a quarterback. The star tight end is able to improvise on routes and revive plays that seemed dead. That’s one reason why he and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have had so much success over the years.

Kelce had a rough start to the season, recording just 69 receiving yards through the first three games of the season, but he’s since started to turn things around, recording 89 receiving yards in Week 4 before picking up 70 yards on Monday.

More importantly, the Chiefs are still undefeated heading into their bye week.