Travis Kelce wasn't always the great pass-catching tight end he ended up becoming.
The 12-year veteran started out as a quarterback in high school and went into the University of Cincinnati with the hope of being the next great dual-threat QB. If you ask the Kansas City Chiefs TE nowadays, the initial visualization of his playing career was a lot like the one Bills QB Josh Allen has carved out.
"Josh is who I used to dream of being like in the NFL," Kelce said Friday. "Big, athletic quarterback, big arm, being able to be a dual-threat guy. I just never had the arm talent that Josh has, so they kicked me over to tight end."
Allen has put together an MVP-level campaign in 2024, throwing for 3,731 yards with a 28:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and a 101.4 passer rating. He's also added 531 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores while leading Buffalo to 13 wins for the third time in his career.
Its culminated in the Bills returning to the AFC Championship Game, where they will face the Chiefs on Sunday night. While Kansas City's ongoing dynasty has been the force preventing Buffalo from a Super Bowl appearance in recent years (Allen has an 0-3 playoff record versus the Chiefs), Kelce remains in awe of the star QB he once dreamed of being.
"His ability to do everything -- you can tell, he really took the bull by the horns and been their leader up front, and channeled that," Kelce said. "Guys come in and out of the building and he's the main guy that makes them go, week in, week out. I have so much respect for that guy."
Kelce has since figured it out after his QB hopes were dashed long ago. The former third-round pick ranks third all-time in receptions (1,004) and receiving yards (12,151) among tight ends and has put together incredible playoff numbers in a career that includes three Super Bowl rings.
Going into Sunday's AFC title game, Kelce has the most receptions (172) in NFL postseason history and ranks second all-time in both receiving yards (2,020) and receiving touchdowns (20) behind Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice (2,245 yards, 22 TDs).
Along the way Kelce has shown flashes of his throwing days with impromptu lateral passes to trailing wideouts. It's a maneuver the 35-year-old has been more comfortable making recently, even in the playoffs. Perhaps it can be seen as Kelce's own version of a dual threat.
With the Chiefs looking to achieve the first-ever Super Bowl three-peat, Kelce and Co. might just pull out all the stops against Allen's surging Bills.
"I'm just excited for the challenges I get in this game," Kelce said of facing Buffalo. "I'm very appreciative of the opportunities that I have and this is one of the biggest challenges we've ever had. So, I'm excited at attacking that."
Bills-Chiefs is scheduled to kick off at 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
