14Football tight ends function to protect their quarterback in the middle of NFL plays, and few do it better than Travis Kelce.
Kelce has been the Kansas City Chiefs’ top tight end since 2013, four years before Patrick Mahomes signed with the Missouri team as a quarterback.
“Obviously, I get here at the beginning of the year [and] I’m still a rookie, so I’m kind of going through the motions and try to figure out the best way to fit in and I think the first time I thought me and Travis were gonna be connected … was [after] the fourth preseason game,” Mahomes recalled on Kelce’s“New Heights” podcast in December 2022, noting Kelce happened to be partying at the “same spot” as Mahomes and the other rookies, who invited the crew to join him.
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Mahomes ended up being late to the Chiefs’ “walk-through” — just like Kelce. “I was like, ‘Dope, I’m not alone! Let’s go, man,’” Kelce quipped. “At that point, I knew we were teammates.”
Scroll down for Mahomes and Kelce’s sweetest friendship moments through the years:
Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for The Match;Noble 33
March 2024
Global hospitality group Noble 33 announced on March 14 that they are teaming up with Mahomes and Kelce to launch the 1587 Prime steakhouse in Kansas City. The restaurant is set to open in 2025 and is named after the player’s jersey numbers.
“Travis and I have become frequent visitors of Noble 33 restaurants in other cities, so it only made sense to bring something special to our own community in Kansas City,” Mahomes said in a press release.
Kelce added: “We’re excited to be a part of this journey with Noble 33 to create a one-of-a-kind dining experience, and what better place to start than our very own, Kansas City.”
Credit: PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images
February 2024
The football players embraced on the field after the Chiefs beat the 49ers in overtime at Super Bowl LVIII.
Credit: David Berding/Getty Images
October 2023
The two Chiefs teammates shook hands during the October 8 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Weeks earlier, Kelce subtly revealed that he invited Taylor Swift to watch their home game against the Chicago Bears. After Mahomes’ initial disbelief, he realized his buddy was hungry for a touchdown.
“I knew I had to get it to Trav,” the QB told Erin Andrews after the September game. “He does his own thing and just makes up a route and I throw it to him. I think he wanted to get in the end zone as much as all the Swifties wanted him to.”
Credit: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images
July 2023
Kelce and Mahomes were suited and booted at the annual ESPYs.
Credit: Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
July 2023
Mahomes chronicled his home life during the 2022 season in Netflix’s Quarterback docuseries. Kelce, for his part, turned up to the red carpet premiere to celebrate his pal.
Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images for The Match
June 2023
Mahomes and Kelce teamed up on the golf fairway at Capital One’s The Match VIII in Las Vegas.
Credit: Handout/Kansas City Chiefs via Getty Images
June 2023
The duo posed with their two Super Bowl rings during the official Super Bowl LVII Ring Ceremony.
Credit: Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images
June 2023
They presented President Joe Biden with his own custom Chiefs jersey during a visit to the White House.
Credit: Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Images
February 2023
Mahomes and Kelce partied hard during the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory parade.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
February 2023
Mahomes and Kelce both won their second Super Bowl in February after defeating the Philadelphia Eagles (including Travis’ brother, Jason Kelce) 38-35.
Credit: Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images
July 2022
Mahomes celebrated Kelce’s putt during the American Century Championship golf tournament.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
March 2021
During their off-season, Kelce and Mahomes hit up the Los Angeles Lakers basketball game against the Phoenix Suns.
Credit: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
July 2020
Kelce gave his buddy a piggyback ride in the middle of the American Century Championship on July 11.
Credit: Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
February 2020
Mahomes stood beside Kelce as he raised the Lombardi Trophy after their first Super Bowl win.
