Travis Kelce Says He’s His Own ‘Worst Critic’ on the Field: ‘Always Finding Ways to Get Better’

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end opened up about how he deals with making mistakes during a press conference at training camp

Travis Kelce. Photo: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

Travis Kelce is opening up about his time in training camp — and revealing just how hard he can be on himself while playing.

On Saturday, July 27, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, took the podium after a day of practice for training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Mo. While taking questions from the media, he spoke candidly about how he deals with making mistakes on the field, telling the crowd, “I’m my biggest critic.”

“I’m my worst critic,” Kelce said. “Nobody can tell me how bad I did on a play, I know it right away, as soon the play got over with. I know what I need to do to get better and everything.”

Travis Kelce walks onto the field during the Kansas City Chiefs Training Camp on July 25, 2023.Jamie Squire/Getty

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“It’s just — you have to have that certain mentality. Always finding ways to get better, even when you have success on a play,” he continued. “That’s just how I’ve went about it, and I got that from [head coach Andy Reid], knowing that you can always do things better and you can always make somebody else’s job easier on this field.”

Elsewhere during his press conference, Kelce opened up about transitioning back into the preseason after spending a whirlwind summer traveling, taping several TV shows and spending time with his popstar girlfriend, Taylor Swift.

“This is my sanctuary, baby,” he told the press with a grin, referring to the dorms of Missouri Western State University.

“St. Joe’s, year 12. That means I’ve spent about an entire year of my life up here in the dorms,” he continued. “Everybody may see that it’s pretty grueling, but I enjoy it, man. There’s something about this place that gets you ready every single year, and I’m not gonna lie, I got pretty excited as the time started counting down to get out here and get this thing rolling.”

According to the Chiefs, open practices began on July 21 and are set to run until Aug. 15.

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While the Chiefs’ first preseason game will be against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Aug. 10, the team will begin its regular season on Sept. 5, with a game against the Baltimore Ravens.

The Chiefs’ upcoming season is certainly one to watch, as Kelce and his teammates have made their intention to try for their third-consecutive Super Bowl win.

In February, the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers with a score of 25-22, and the 2024 Super Bowl turned out to be most-watched telecast in U.S. history, with more than 123 million people tuning in for the game. Just after the end of the game, Kelce declared that he has high hopes for the following season.

“The goal [has] always been to get three,” he said during the Vince Lombardi trophy ceremony. “Believe it, baby. We’re gonna be here next year.”