If there’s one adjective that Travis Kelce gets routinely praised for, it’s his humility and humble nature. The 35-year-old is one of the best tight ends in football history, but never brags egotistically about his achievements. Noah Gray experienced Kelce’s humble nature for the first time after the Chiefs drafted the Duke graduate in 2021.
Kelce, a veteran of many battles over the years, took the young tight end under his wing. Talking to Chiefs superfan and social media personality Farzin Vousoughian during the Kansas City Charity Pickleball event on Friday, Gray threw light on this.
He is humble, willing to help. I mean that guy, you would think at the top of the world, is the best tight end ever and you would think he would keep to himself and he would just do his work and he wouldn’t pay much attention to the rookie, you know when I came in. Every single year it just amazes me how much time and effort he pours into the younger guys.
Gray has found chances as the lead tight end hard to come by, but he has zero qualms about it. He learns from the best, and it’s not as if he never gets the chance to showcase his skills. The Chiefs rewarded Gray with a three-year, $19.5 million contract before the 2024 season. He repaid it with 40 receptions for 437 yards and 5 touchdowns.
Kelce, on the other hand, struggled to play his natural game. According to some analysts, off-field activities started to affect Kelce’s numbers on the gridiron. Kelce recorded 823 yards and 3 touchdowns (the lowest of his career, excluding his rookie season).
2025 is an important season for Travis Kelce and Noah Gray
The numbers may not look spectacular, but they were enough for the Chiefs to play in Super Bowl 59. Unfortunately, they lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the final game.
Kelce is coming back for his 13th NFL season. He could not fathom ending his career on a defeat.
Despite the optimism, he is not aging in reverse. He will be a year older during the second month of the new campaign. It all depends on how Coach Andy Reid uses Kelce.
Rich Eisen believes that the Cincinnati graduate is still a key part of the offense, but the Chiefs have to learn to cope without him.
[Travis Kelce] will be the focus as to whether the Chiefs are finally vulnerable. At some point, [Tom] Brady no longer had Randy Moss and no longer had [Wes] Welker. At some point, Mahomes will no longer have Kelce. Is this the moment where they are not able to transition?
Rich Eisen said on the Rich Eisen Show
It’s been a relatively quiet #NFL offseason for #ChiefsKingdom — are they under the radar heading into 2025? Will it be Travis Kelce’s final year? pic.twitter.com/Xz1sTJLo5Q
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) June 19, 2025
This is where Noah Gray comes in. He will likely have a bigger role than in previous seasons. If the 26-year-old plays 75% of the offensive snaps and makes 50 catches, Spotrac claimed, Gray will receive $250K.
Kelce has nothing left to prove to anyone that he is the best at what he does. He holds the postseason receptions record (172), most postseason 100-yard games (9), and most Super Bowl receptions (35).
Three rings and countless other trophies sum up his glittering NFL career. Yet, he still wants to win the fourth one that got away in February. A fourth will level him with retired Patriots and Buccaneers legend Rob Gronkowski.
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) July 18, 2025
Recent reports suggest that Kelce and the Chiefs roster are making last-minute preparations for the start of this year’s training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri.
