Travis Kelce reflects on his career and says he’s not done yet

They say if you feed a man a fish, he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he will eat for a lifetime. But what happens when that man you taught to fish goes on to become the greatest fisherman in the history of the sea?

What if that young man’s every waking hour is consumed by being the best, always working and striving for that next fish — the next big one?

It’s everything he’s ever wanted. He is no longer hungry. He is healthy and happy, and all those omega-3 fatty acids make his hair shimmer in the sunlight. He is successful. And then one day, while he’s walking down to the docks, he notices a kid hanging out near where the old men mend their nets. He’s not much to look at — he’s scrawny and hungry — but there is a look in his eye, a look the man knows all too well.

This kid is the next one. The one whose big catch will dwarf any this fisherman could hope to hook. At that moment, he sees his life come full circle — he thought his goal was to be the best fisherman, but that was only part of his story.

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce sounded a bit like our old fisherman on Monday evening at the opening night of Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans when he was asked about his motivation as he and his teammates embark on a quest to become the first team in the history of the NFL to win three consecutive Super Bowls.

“Early on in my career, I really wanted to be known as the greatest to ever do it,” reflected Kelce. “I think that motivation has changed to just, you know, create memories, create a lasting impression on the communities that I’m in, and change the game. I think that’s going to be something I can really hang my hat on.”

Kelce’s impression of the community is deep and impactful.

Whether it be Ignition Lab, which is a STEM program he funded through his “87 and Running” Foundation, or Operation Breakthrough, which is a local non-profit he works closely with, Kelce credits all the good he’s been able to do in the community to the good luck he had to be drafted by the organization that selected him.

“I have so much love for Kansas City’s community, and I’ve been so fortunate,” Kelce explained. “Kansas City drafting me— [they] make it an initiative to get their players and get the organization [out] in the community to help out... I’ve really taken that and wanted to give back to the community in ways that have changed kids' lives forever.”

But don’t expect Kelce to hang up his fishing pole just yet; he says he still has a lot of football left in him. When he was asked where he sees himself in three years, he said he expects to still be chasing his white whale across the deep blue sea of the gridiron.

“Where will I be in three years? Oh, man, I don’t know. Hopefully still playing football. I love doing this. I love coming in to work every day. I still feel like I got a lot of good football left in me.”

But father time is undefeated, and at some point, Kelce knows his time will come to hang them up and walk away from the battlefield that etched his name in history. When that time comes, he is ready for the next chapter — whatever that looks like.

“I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life, and that’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts for so long, you got to find a way to get into another career, into another profession. And I’ve been doing that in my offseasons.”

But today is not the day that he walks away from the fight that has shaped him, from the pain that has hardened him and given him an unbreakable resolve.

Today, he says that in three years, he still plans to be chasing that next fish.

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