Travis Kelce's 'Work Hard, Play Hard' Motto Draws Rare Comparison to NFL Legend from Patrick Mahomes
Travis Kelce’s relentless pursuit of excellence during practice earns him a rare comparison to a Hall of Famer from teammate Patrick Mahomes.
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Travis Kelce is living the American Dream life. Between breaking records and winning hearts of millions of Swifties, Travis Kelce is building a life that several are envious of. Kelce is also setting examples by not letting his relationship with a global sensation affect his focus on the field by consistently dominating performance on the field. This relentless approach of Kelce has impressed even the crème de la crème of the league, even his QB teammate Patrick Mahomes. The result of it? Kelce getting put in the same circle as legendary Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
Lauding Kelce for his work ethic, Mahomes said, “You see him out there every day at practice. He gets mad when they take him out. He loves working.” But that was not all Mahomes had to say about Kelce as he continued his praise, saying, “He enjoys the process of being great, not just the top, like winning the Super Bowl. He enjoys the process of working out little details. And that’s what the great ones do. You heard stories like that, about guys like Jerry Rice and guys like that.”
First things first, that is a huge accomplishment, not just because it’s coming from the man who’s touted as the best QB in the league. It’s big for Kelce since Jerry Rice was always known as the one to push himself to his limits even in the off-season, like working out for 6 days a week, including a 5-mile run on a mountain trail followed by weight training in the afternoon.
Well, you can’t get to the top without putting the blood, sweat, and tears in. Precisely why Kelce’s the best too in his TE department in the league, with ESPN ranking him as the top TE in the NFL. “It makes my job easier as a leader to push other guys. So I can just say, look at the Hall of Famer who’s out here practicing harder than anybody,” Mahomes added, continuing his praise for his TE Kelce.
Referring to Kelce as a ‘(future) Hall of Famer’ was a huge thing in itself. But Travis Kelce earned every right to be called so when he broke the record of the legendary Jerry Rice earlier this year in the 2024 AFC Championship clash against the Ravens. It was a wholesomely iconic moment in itself as Kelce, celebrating and thrilled, shouted, “Shout out to Jerry Rice, baby,” at the top of his lungs the moment he broke Rice’s record for most catches in the postseason, 156 in 21 games.
Other than this, Mahomes has also made his expectations from Kelce clear: him to accompany his team to bring home the first three-peat in the books of the NFL. It is their third consecutive Super Bowl this season, something that no team has ever been able to accomplish. If Mahomes and Kelce unlock this never-done-before accolade this season as a QB-WR duo, they’ll simply surpass the GOAT Tom Brady and Rob Gronk’s QB-TE duo in terms of stardom and impact in the NFL.
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