Patrick Mahomes pokes fun at Travis Kelce's forgotten Bearcats hairdo
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have been by each other's side since the quarterback entered the league in 2017. However, on Saturday, they'll be on opposite ends when the Texas Tech Red Raiders host the Cincinnati Bearcats at the Jones AT&T Stadium in the two teams' first clash as Big 12 Conference rivals.
Mahomes played for the Red Raiders from 2014 to 2016, while Kelce was a Bearcats star from 2008 to 2012. Both players are extremely passionate supporters of their alma mater and will likely watch the game together in LA after wrapping up their pre-game preparations ahead of their AFC West divisional clash against the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.
Mahomes is already building up the hype for the game by poking fun at Kelce's haircut from his days as a Bearcat. He shared a collage of their photos from way back on X and captioned it:
"I’ll bring the hair back if you do too!," Mahomes said while tagging Kelce.
Travis Kelce acknowledged his teammate's hilarious jibe and admitted he wasn't too proud of the hairdo. He responded:
"I left that look back in Cincinnati for good reason"
While Mahomes got one over Kelce on social media, the tight end will hope his alma mater responds on his behalf by beating the Red Raiders on Saturday night. It's shaping up to be a massive weekend for the veteran, as he's not only hoping for Bearcats to register a critical win but also for him to break out of his slump.
NFL insider calls Travis Kelce 'out of shape' amid dismal start to the season
The Kansas City Chiefs are one of only five teams with a perfect 3-0 record, but they'll likely be concerned about their offense's performance, especially Travis Kelce's poor start to the season.
Through three games, the veteran tight end has a meager eight catches for 69 yards and no touchdowns. He caught four passes for 30 yards in the Chiefs' win over the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3, which was one of his better outings of the campaign so far.
On his appearance on The Ryen Russillo Podcast on Monday, ESPN's Todd McShay called out Kelce for being in less-than-ideal shape after a busy offseason traveling with Taylor Swift. (Start at 1:02:47).
“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world."
Travis Kelce's underwhelming form hasn't affected Kansas City's results, but the team's long-term success is predicated on the tight end being productive. The Los Angeles Chargers are the perfect opponent for him to hit his stride.
He has recorded over 100 receiving yards in five of his last six appearances against LA. In total, he has 33 catches for 640 receiving yards and six touchdowns in that span.
The Chiefs will hope he can find his groove on Sunday and help them improve to 4-0.