Most Devastated Place: McAfee Shares in Reid’s Advice for Kelce

Asked by reporters in the days leading up to Super Bowl LIX where he saw himself in five years, Travis Kelce said he hoped to still be playing. Then, 40-22 happened.

“That was a devastating loss,” former NFL player Pat McAfee said Wednesday on the Pat McAfee Show from the scouting combine. “I think it would be hard to make any decision about anything after that loss, after the season.”

Andy Reid agreed. That’s why he told Kelce to remove himself mentally from football, and come back to discuss the tight end’s future with a clear head.

"That's up to Travis,” Reid said Tuesday from the combine, addressing Kelce’s future. “At this point, get out of town and relax. That's my motto for these guys. They've played a lot of games for a consistent amount of seasons here, and when you get to the end of the thing, you've exhausted yourself mentally and physically. Step back, take care of that, and then we'll talk. For right now, I think that's what he's doing."

And while general manager Brett Veach said Tuesday he expects the future Hall of Famer to continue his career in Kansas City, McAfee knows from experience that Super Bowl losses don’t offer the best foundation from which to make life-changing decisions.

“I had the fortunate, very lucky opportunity to ride the coat wings of the team that won the Super Bowl and built Lucas Oil Stadium here in Indianapolis,” McAfee said, “and go to another Super Bowl with them against the New Orleans Saints and Drew Brees. And that loss… I walked into the locker room and it was the most devastated place I ever walked. We’re talking about, just – soulless, blank stares out of everybody.”

One of those blank stares in New Orleans earlier this month came from Kelce, who could be facing a new role with the Chiefs and perhaps a reworked contract. Only days before the loss to Philadelphia, reporters were asking him to envision something no NFL team had ever accomplished – three straight Super Bowl victories. Talk about a roller coaster of emotions.

“You’re walking through another team’s confetti,” McAfee added. “You know how lucky and how hard it was to get here, and everybody just thinks to themselves, ‘We’re never going to make it back.’”

And whether Kelce makes it back or not, McAfee said he’s grateful for the fans the tight end has drawn to the sport through his relationship with superstar Taylor Swift, and Kelce should be commended for how he’s handled that additional spotlight.

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