In an interview with 610 Sports Radio, Mahomes said: “It’s the type of teammate he is – in all honesty I was trying to force him to play,” and “I knew he was going to try not to play and he wanted to be about the team and not about him.”

He added: ” I was trying to force him all the way up until game time and then he said, ‘No, that’s not who I am, I don’t want to play for those reasons. I want to get myself rested and healthy for the playoffs.’ ”

Despite not playing, Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and backup Blaine Gabbert had planned plays for Kelce to reach over 1,000 yards while avoiding risk. “We had done that – we had some plays for him where we were going to get him open and stay away from contact and get him into spots where he can catch the ball and get down there,” Mahomes explained.

“But that’s just the type of guy he is – he’s not going to go out there and play for these reasons.”

However, with Kelce sitting out and ending the season with 984 yards, it marked one of his least successful seasons statistically. The last time Kelce achieved less than 1,000 yards was in 2015, when he managed only 875 yards on 72 receptions.

Patrick Mahomes urged Travis Kelce to play in the finale against the Los Angeles Chargers ( Image: Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

His five touchdowns this season are also the fewest since 2019. In the three seasons before 2023, the 34-year-old’s lowest number of touchdowns was nine in 2021. Despite Kelce’s age, he remains one of the most productive tight ends in the game.

Fans are wondering if he’s nearing the end of his career, but his past performance suggests he still has plenty of successful seasons left. Even though Kelce didn’t have his best season, he was still close to achieving over 1,000 yards, showing his skill and ability.

If he continues to make the most of his opportunities with Mahomes and Reid, there’s no reason why he can’t reach the 1,000-yard mark again next season, especially if he’s fully fit. For now, Mahomes can be proud that he did everything possible to help Kelce make more history as the Chiefs get ready to face the Miami Dolphins in the Wild Card round.