Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce sheds some light and sprinkles in some humor about the injury that derailed his rookie year in 2013

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Nick Roesch | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 9:28 AM ET

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has had such a historic career that it's easy to forget the adversity he had to overcome to play in the NFL.

Part of his challenge was rehabbing from the knee injury that basically washed away his entire rookie year in 2013. Kelce was active for just one game that season, a Week 2 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys, in which he played only one snap on special teams.

Kelce was placed on injured reserve in Week 6, officially ending his season. While appearing on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast with former NFL players Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Kelce detailed the complications he had with his knee throughout both the first and second years of his career.

"My rookie year, I had some discomfort," Kelce said. "I kept doing MRIs. I took like 10 MRIs. Everybody in the building was calling the MRI machine 'The Kelce.' Like, oh, you're going to get a Kelce? Alright, nice. So, I went to the guys and I'm just like, just go in there and scope it. We'll see what happens. We go in there, and I have microfracture surgery. You guys know what microfracture is? It's ended some careers. They drill holes in your cartilage bones, to get blood to see through, to create and rebuild cartilage. Couldn't run for like six, seven months. Then was on a pitch count for half the (2014) season."

Kelce went on to humorously describe the one snap that he played in 2013.

"It was a blocked field goal," Kelce said. "I was on the field goal team, and I only went in because somebody got hurt, and I just happen to be dressing that day. I was supposed to be the left tight end on the field goal. And (I say to) the right tight end, 'Ah, my knee!' We're on the right hash, so the rush was definitely coming from the left. So I'm like, hey, (to the right tight end) you trying to take that left side for me? My knee! And just being a good teammate he was like, yeah, dude, I got you. I went over to the right side, turn around, ball's on the ground. I'm like, [expletive] get it! I see guys jumping on it and I'm like, [expletive] my knee!"

Kelce went on to appear in all 16 games of the 2014 season, starting 11. He actually led the team in receiving yards and tied running back Jamaal Charles for the most receiving touchdowns with five. That was the infamous year that no Chiefs wide receiver caught a TD pass.

The 2016 season is when Kelce really established himself as the best TE in the league, catching 85 passes for 1,125 yards. That began a streak of seven consecutive 1,000 receiving yard seasons for Kelce, an NFL record among TEs. His playing future beyond 2025 is uncertain, but he will certainly do everything he can to end his Hall of Fame career on a high note.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: