Chiefs
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce said the team’s blowout loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl was a “tough pill to swallow.”
“It just wasn’t our day. Couldn’t find a lick of momentum,” Kelce said, via Around The NFL. “I’m kicking myself for some of the tiny, tiny decisions I made on the field, trying to do something more than what I asked to do during plays. I wasn’t the best leader that I could be in motivating my guys and keeping my guys calm, cool and collected. I put a lot of that on myself as, you know, the guy that’s been in the building for 12 years and seen a lot of football and actually seen a situation just like this in the Super Bowl, talking about the Tampa Bay Super Bowl. It’s a tough pill to swallow, man. Every time we felt like we made a big play or we got something going, a penalty would happen or we’d be going backwards. Then, on top of that, just not executing the play calls. It wasn’t the play calls. It was the cumulative effort of everybody just not finding a way to get it done, man. To happen on the biggest stage sucks, but to have it happen for the second time of my career on the biggest stage, man, it’s a tough pill to swallow.”
Kelce added that he’ll take some time to decide whether or not he’ll play next season, noting that the amount of football he’s played in addition to the physical toll it takes on the body are all factors that will be considered.
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year. Right now, I’m just kicking everything down the road,” Kelce said. “I’m kicking every can that I can down the road. I’m not making any crazy decisions, but right now, the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches, understanding that there’s a lot that goes into this thing. I’ve been fortunate over the past five, six years, I’ve played more football than anybody. It’s because the people that are in that building and the fact that we keep going to these AFC championships, these Super Bowls, that means I’m playing an extra three games more than everybody else in the entire league. That’s a lot of wear and tear on your body. It’s a lot of time spent in the building, focusing on your craft, focusing on the task at hand, every challenge that you set for yourself. That process can be grueling. It can weigh on you. It can make you better and it can drive you crazy at the same time. Right now, it’s one of those things where it was kind of driving me crazy this year. I think that it happens as you kind of tail off towards the back nine of your career. As you see yourself or not feel yourself have the success that you once used to have, it’s a tough pill to swallow. On top of that, to not be there in the biggest moments, knowing your team’s counting on you, man, those are all extremely hard things to. … It’s just a tough reality.”
Kelce said that he believes he still has it in him to play but wants to make sure he can find the motivation to go another season.
“I think I’m gonna take some time to figure it out,” Kelce said. “I think I owe it to my teammates that if I do come back, it’s going to be something that it’s a wholehearted decision, I’m not half-assing it, I’m fully here for them. I think I can play. It’s just whether or not I’m motivated or it’s the best decision for me as a man, as a human, as a person to take on all that responsibility.”
Chiefs
- Chiefs WR DeAndre Hopkins‘ contract voids on February 17, per OverTheCap.
- The Ravens are hiring Chiefs safeties coach Donald D’Alesio as their defensive backs coach. (Tom Pelissero)
Jaguars
Jaguars OC Grant Udinski said that he’s excited to work with QB Trevor Lawrence and it will be a “collaborative process” in terms of working together with the coaching staff to put players in the best position possible to succeed.
“Beyond fired up to work with Trevor,” Udinski said, via Jags Wire.
Udinski talked about the impact Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell had on his career and said that his ability to work closely with quarterbacks.
“He influenced me in probably even more ways than I recognize,” Udinski said about working with O’Connell. “Everyone who walks through that building feels his impact.”
The post AFC Notes: Travis Kelce’s Future, DeAndre Hopkins, Grant Udinski, Chiefs, Jaguars appeared first on NFLTradeRumors.co.