Former Browns Coach Speaks Out With Strong Criticism of Travis Kelce

The Kansas City Chiefs did not have the greatest 2024 NFL season. After winning Super Bowl LVII and LVIII, their attempt to "three-peat" and take home a fourth championship in six years came up fruitless.

Despite finishing with an impressive 15-2 record, last year's campaign was no cakewalk for the Chiefs. They managed to climb to the top of the AFC standings behind the strength of their defense, as their historically dominant high-octane offense took a massive step back in 2024. They went from being the number-one team in offensive yards in 2022 to ninth in '23, and fell all the way to 16th last season.

Most of their struggles on that side of the ball were attributed to injuries. With weapons like Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco missing significant chunks of the year, it was only natural that the offense would lose some of its fearsome explosiveness. Other factors, like offensive line play, also contributed to their attack's regression. Former Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini recently highlighted one scapegoat for the Chiefs' offensive struggles in 2024: All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce.

Unlike Rashee Rice and Isiah Pacheco, Kelce was healthy throughout last season's campaign, but he still put up one of his worst statistical finishes in a long time. He pulled in 97 catches, which is about an average mark for him, but came away with just 823 yards and three touchdowns, both of which were the lowest points of his career.

Coach Mangini suggested that off-field distractions led to Kelce's struggles on FS1's Breakfast Ball show:

"When you look at his offseason last year, it was filled with everything but football. He's got the budding romance, he's on tour, he's traveling overseas, he's filming a TV show, he's got the podcast... It put him a little bit behind the eight-ball going into the season."

Kelce's relationship with pop megastar Taylor Swift has been no secret, and Swift might be one of the few people on the planet who could outshine an entire NFL football team. The two reportedly started dating in the summer of 2023, which coincides with his statistical regression over the last two seasons. Kelce and the Chiefs will be hoping to buck the trend in this upcoming campaign.