“He would be the last person I fall asleep on Monday night,” Tyrann Mathieu declared, his words dripping with respect for Travis Kelce. As the NFL world buzzes with chatter about the Chiefs tight end’s supposed decline, Mathieu’s voice rises above the din, silencing the naysayers with the authority of a player who’s been in the trenches.

In a candid chat with Rich Eisen on October 3, 2024, Mathieu didn’t just defend Kelce—he threw down the gauntlet to his critics. “To dismiss Travis as being anything other than a valuable weapon… it’s just nonsense to even think about it in that way,” he asserted.

Let’s rewind the tape a bit. Kelce’s 2024 season opener was about as exciting as watching paint dry. Through three games, he’d scraped together a measly 8 catches for 67 yards. No touchdowns. Zip. Zilch. Nada. Fans were scratching their heads, wondering if Taylor Swift had sapped Kelce’s superpowers.

But Mathieu, who’s gone toe-to-toe with Kelce on the field, isn’t buying the doom and gloom. “He’s still a savvy player,” he insisted. “At any given moment, man, like he can make that big-time play on third down, he can make those great plays in the red zone.” It’s a reminder that in football, as in life, it’s not about how you start—it’s how you finish.

And finish strong Kelce did. Against the Chargers, he didn’t just show up—he showed out. Seven catches, 89 yards, and oh yeah, he casually broke Tony Gonzalez’s franchise record for receptions. 922 and counting. Not bad for a guy some were ready to put out to pasture. As Kelce himself joked on New Heights, “Since when is 89 yards a big game?” For him, it’s all about the touchdowns and the W’s.

JJ Watt’s reality check on the evolution of a superstar Tight End

While Mathieu’s backing Kelce like a brother, JJ Watt served up a cold dish of reality on the Pat McAfee Show this week. “At some point, your stats start to go down,” Watt mused. “People don’t need to find something to blame it on—his offseason, his girlfriend, whatever it may be. At some point, football’s football, man.”

Watt’s not throwing shade; he’s shedding light on the elephant in the room. At 34, Kelce’s no spring chicken. But does that mean he’s ready for the glue factory? Andy Reid’s got something to say about that.

“I really don’t care what anybody thinks,” Reid growled after the Chargers game, his mustache practically bristling. “I watch what the defense does and how they respect him. I take it off of that, and I watch Trav every day. I get to see him and how he works.” It’s a mic-drop moment from a coach who’s seen it all.

Patrick Mahomes, the man slinging pigskins Kelce’s way, isn’t losing sleep either. “I know whatever we need, he’s going to make plays,” Mahomes stated, cool as a cucumber. It’s that kind of trust that turns good teams into dynasties.

As Kelce marches towards more franchise records, the question isn’t whether he’s past his prime. It’s how many more defenders he’ll leave in his wake. Because in the NFL, age isn’t just a number—it’s a challenge. And Travis Kelce? Well, he’s never been one to back down from a challenge.