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Travis Kelce shares hilarious story about Clay Matthews that perfectly captures his unforgettable welcome to the NFL moment

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Wendell Ferreira | Last updated Jul 2, 2025 5:30 PM ET

Even for players that will eventually become stars in the NFL, the first few years in the league may be tough. Tight end Travis Kelce is set to be a Hall of Famer, but he also had his "welcome to the NFL" moment. Back in 2015, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers, and Kelce learned the hard way he should have much contact with former Packers star edge defender Clay Matthews.

This is what Kelce told during an appearance on the Bussin' With the Boys podcast this week.

"I'd had maybe 10 catches up to this point in my career. I'm going into Lambeau thinking, 'This is Lambeau. This is my moment. People are going to know me after this.' I'm all hyped up and fired up to play. I see Clay Matthews and I'm just like, 'Oh, that's Clay Matthews.' His arms are way bigger in person than they are on TV—and they're [expletive] enormous on TV.

It's the backside of an outside zone, and I'm chasing him down. I give him a little hit and say, 'Yeah, [expletive].' And he stops, squares up to me, and says, 'Don't ever [expletive] talk to me. I'll [expletive] kill you,' or something along those lines. 'I'm gonna' kill you.'

And I was just like… couldn't even say anything after that. I was just like, 'Dude, aren't we just playing ball, I thought we were just having a good time.'" — Travis Kelce.

Curiously, Matthews isn't bigger than Kelce. The tight end is actually taller (6-5 to 6-3), even though Matthews was slightly heavier (255 pounds to 250) during his playing days. But the attitude is something else. And the defender was one of the most aggressive and athletic players of his generation.

In that game, though, Kelce still had six catches for 80 yards. Matthews sacked quarterback Alex Smith twice. The Packers won the game 38-28 at Lambeau Field and made it to the divisional round in the NFC, but lost to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime.

Careers in the NFL

A first-round pick by the Packers back in 2009, Clay Matthews quickly established himself as an elite player. He was a First-Team All-Pro in 2010 and Second-Team All-Pro in 2012, beyond making six Pro Bowl appearances. Matthews has the Packers franchise record in sacks, with 83.5, playing with the team until 2018. Matthews played his final NFL season for the Los Angeles Rams in 2019.

His biggest moment in the NFL happened in Super Bowl XLV, when he forced a fumble from Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall in the second half. The Packers won 31–25.

After the suboptimal experience, Travis Kelce turned out to be one of the best tight ends in NFL history. The Chiefs offensive star won three Super Bowl championships, made the First-Team All-Pro four times, the Second-Team All-Pro three times, the Pro Bowl 10 times, and made the 2010s All-Decade Team.

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

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