Former ESPN analyst Todd McShay has raised concerns that Travis Kelce’s growing off-field fame and busy lifestyle might be impacting his performance on the field. McShay weighed in on the Kansas City Chiefs star’s lackluster start to the season, particularly following his underwhelming showing against the Atlanta Falcons, where Kelce logged just four catches for 30 yards.
McShay speculated that Kelce’s recent activities outside of football could be playing a role in his decreased productivity.
McShay’s remarks on Kelce and Swift
He highlighted Kelce’s weekend trip to New York City after the Chiefs’ game against the Baltimore Ravens, where the tight end was spotted enjoying the US Open and spending time with friends.
McShay implied that this “jet-setting” lifestyle might be affecting Kelce’s focus and conditioning, particularly as he manages an increasing celebrity profile.
“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?” McShay told “The Ryen Russillo Podcast”.
“That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world.
“I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024, they’re barely the same human being.
“Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets is the same, the athlete is not.
“Now, is he going to work himself into shape during the season? Yeah, I’m sure he will. He’s an unbelievable competitor, he’s one of the best to ever do it and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there and shows up in some clutch moments, but he’s not the same guy right now.
“I don’t see the same explosiveness, I see him wearing down a little bit in games, it’s OK, he’ll work himself back into shape, it’s not the first guy ever whose not quite in the elite shape that he was.”
