Travis Kelce says idea of winning another Super Bowl is ‘very motivating’

Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce spoke with reporters via teleconference on Wednesday about his ability to stay motivated during a quarantine.

The COVID-19 quarantine has us all feeling abnormal these days. Many of us are worried on several fronts—from finances to health to the future. Our rhythms are interrupted. Our security is in question. Our plans are sidelined and expectations are dashed. And this is true for all of us—even All-Pro tight ends like Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.

For a player like Kelce, the last couple months should have been part of a victory lap enjoyed by each and every member of the organization. After 50 years—a full half century—the team finally put their many ghosts to rest with a Super Bowl win for the ages. For someone like Kelce, it should have been an offseason filled with one celebration after another, reliving the tales of sports’ biggest platform with friends and family all over the country.

Instead, Kelce has been tied up inside, just like the rest of us, due to necessary measures to “flatten the curve.” Because of that, Kelce admitted to reporters on Wednesday that the idea of being Super Bowl victors hasn’t quite settled in. “I think for the most part, it’s still been pretty surreal,” he says.

“I think the quarantine has made it almost like it was a dream because we haven’t been able to go out and see all of our family members and visit everyone like I guess we would if it wasn’t like this,” he adds.

Still Kelce went on to say that one thing that sheltering-in-place cannot remove from him is the hunger and motivation to experience all of it again. Kelce told reporters multiple times about his level of excitement to taste Super Bowl glory again. This team has built something special and they have a real ability to create something lasting.

"“But all in all, the biggest thing is that it’s very motivating. It’s very motivating to do it again. I’ve already got the competitive mindset to gear up and start the thing all over again, to help recreate this team’s identity and move them forward. I’m just excited because we’ve got a lot of pieces coming back.“It’s ingrained in this team to fight, man, and to battle their tails off, to work their tails off. Everybody that we played with last year on the Chiefs, they made it fun to come into the office. We all enjoyed being around each other, and I don’t see that chemistry changing or that camaraderie changing at all, especially with the leaders we have coming back.”"

It’s heartening to hear Chiefs players talk like this about one another and the environment created under Clark Hunt’s leadership. He’s put the right leaders in place in terms of the organization, the roster, the locker room and more and has reaped the benefits, The players who suit up at Arrowhead sound exactly as you’d hope they’d be as a fan—ready and anxious to keep winning now that they’ve experienced the biggest victory of all.