Travis Kelce went into Sunday’s Week 18 game against the Los Angeles Chargers needing just 16 receiving yards to extend his streak of 1,000-yard seasons to eight. And given the Chargers’ defensive struggles throughout the season, Kelce was virtually guaranteed to pick up those yards before calling it a day.
Yet, when the Chiefs announced their inactive players for the game at SoFi Stadium, Kelce was among them. According to head coach Andy Reid, Kelce had the option to play but chose to rest up for the playoffs instead. The reasoning was all about Kelce’s team-first mentality over chasing an individual record.
Andy Reid on Chris Jones playing & Travis Kelce not playing. He said that it was Travis' decision & he didn't want to come off as selfish & didn't like the way it felt. Andy also said that Chris playing was different because there was a financial component. #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/tHsNAveow9
— Starcade Media (@StarcadeMediaKC) January 8, 2024
Reid made sure to point out that Kelce’s decision not to play was completely different than Chris Jones’ decision to suit up on Sunday. Jones needed one more sack to hit a $1.25 million incentive bonus, which he got in the third quarter to his teammates’ delight. There was a financial factor coming into play with Jones. Kelce, on the other hand, would have been chasing a streak just for the sake of having eight straight 1,000-yard seasons.
That just wasn’t a priority for Kelce as the Chiefs hope to defend their Super Bowl title.
Fans also appreciated Kelce’s reason for sitting out on Sunday.