GQ's 2 Facts That Will Help Kelce Better Help Chiefs

If publicity were a prerequisite for Hall of Fame enshrinement, Travis Kelce would qualify on this week alone. The Canton tailor would be wise to take fresh measurements, however.

That’s because Kelce reported to training camp noticeably lighter, faster and quicker. Even Andy Reid called him svelte last month. In its September issue cover story, GQ revealed two significant reasons why Kelce looked and felt differently – reasons that could shape the arms race in the AFC this season.

1) Kelce returned to his South Florida speed-and-agility coach this offseason.

Tony Villani first worked with Kelce before the scouting combine in 2013, but Kelce decided to spend the last few summers in Los Angeles while focusing on his entertainment career. Not this year, though. Kelce sought out Villani and worked tirelessly at XPE Sports.

“Win a Super Bowl is the only goal,” Kelce told Manning in the GQ story. “It’s the only goal. It’s every goal … I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of acting and being an entertainer.

“I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard … I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys.”

Feb 9, 2025; New Orleans, LA, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX at Ceasars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

2) Villani worked to make Kelce more agile and improve football quickness, not pure speed.

Two seasons ago in the Super Bowl against San Francisco, the Chiefs trailed 19-16 with 16 seconds left in the fourth quarter. Facing third-and-7 from the 49ers’ 33-yard line, Kelce ran a shallow cross and beat Fred Warner to the inside. Setting up the game-tying field goal on the 22-yard reception, Kelce reached 19.68 miles per hour. He could’ve had more, though.

Travis Kelce reached a top speed of 19.68 mph on his 22-yard reception to set up the Chiefs' game-tying field goal, Kelce's fastest speed as a ball carrier over the last seven seasons.#SuperBowlLVIII | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/2R3b6kbNjJ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 12, 2024

“I started to realize that when you got too fast, you couldn’t decelerate,” Villani told Manning. “All Travis is trying to do to the linebacker or safety is make him chase him. Once that linebacker or safety chases him and runs, he’s out of control.

“Travis plays between 12 and 16 miles per hour. That’s it. If he goes past his zone, then he turns into a track athlete and can’t change direction.”

Kelce told Manning that the safety who eventually made the tackle, Jy’Air Brown, had the angle on him, and Kelce was running too fast to make a move on Brown.

“He’s set every tight end record known to man without ever really being above 19,” Villani added. “This is what he’s an artist at. This isn’t just, ‘Did he go from A to B as fast as possible,’ which he knows how to do, but he also knows how to be an artist creating illusion with agility.”

Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice — Jul 22, 2025; St. Joseph, MO, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) and wide receiver Rashee Rice (4) walk down the hill to the fields prior to training camp at Missouri Western State University. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

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