Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce was an emotional wreck after quarterback Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL during his team’s Week 15 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. The loss ended the Chiefs’ playoff hopes and led to a litany of questions concerning the team’s future for 2026. Kelce opted not to speak to reporters after the game.
“Obviously, we lost our quarterback, man. Patty Mahomes, our guy, our brother, our fearless leader, our face of the franchise, and, to an ACL,” Kelce on the Dec. 17 episode of the “New Heights” podcast. “It’s never easy seeing your guys go down. We had a bunch of guys get hurt this past game, and we fought, man. We fought.”
Running toward the sideline to evade pressure, Mahomes threw the ball away before defensive lineman Da’Shawn Hand took him to the ground.
“And on a freakish play to see one five go down like that, man, it f——, it was almost like it wasn’t real,” Kelce said. “And shit just sucks, man. He’s a warrior, man. I’m telling you. This guy’s played through everything, battled through everything, has been crowned champion because he’s battled through everything, and he’s gonna battle through this.
“It’s the only way this guy is wired, man. He’s a fearless, fearless warrior when it comes to this football thing, and he’s gonna make sure that he comes back stronger than ever.”
The Chiefs (6-8) will miss the postseason for the first time since 2014 and Kelce’s future remains in doubt. Kelce previously said he won’t make a decision about retirement until after the season when he decides on what’s next.
“We got three games left … the integrity of who you are as a professional, as a player, you gotta love this shit, man,” Kelce said. “… We’re gonna give you everything we got. There’s no question about that. There’s only one way I do things, there’s only one way coach (Andy) Reid does things, and if we’re gonna go out there and play some football, we’re gonna do it the right way and keep trying to get these things fixed and end on the highest note we can.”
