Sometimes shaving a heard helps a person look younger at an older age, giving them a bit of youth when Father Time is trying to take it from them. Other times, shaving a beard gives a person a completely different look that isn’t taken kindly by the people around them.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is the latter.
Kelce decided this week to shave his beard completely after sporting a mustache for a few days, and the Twitter community absolutely roasted him for a look that people aren’t used to seeing from the All-Pro.
What They’re Saying
“Travis Kelce shaved his beard and lost all of his rhythm and soul,” says @joshnsanchez.
“Travis Kelce might be the only man on earth who can shave his beard and somehow look older,” says @BrandonPerna.
“There goes Travis Kelce’s value. He lost all his swag and looks like a high school principal,” says @DraftDiamonds.
“Travis Kelce gotta be single. Ain’t no way in hell sis is still with him after this,” @CarmelDImplezz says.
“Travis Kelce with no beard…..it was all a lie [sad face emoji],” @Ayyyye_j says.
“Travis Kelce looks like Will Ferrell if Will Ferrell was playing Travis Kelce in a movie,” @DylanLoweNFL says.
Kelce Pokes Fun at Himself
Kelce, being the good sport that he is, saw the comments on Twitter and decided to poke fun at himself by editing a selfie of himself and posting it on social media with the caption “#NewProfilePic” which set Twitter ablaze.
Kelce’s 2021 Outlook
Beard or no beard, Kelce is still one of the best tight ends in the NFL. He’s coming off a season in which he accumulated 105 receptions for 1,416 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was also named to a first-team All-Pro and a Pro Bowler. His 2020 receiving yards total is the most ever by a tight end in NFL history, beating the previous mark held by San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle in 2018 (1,377), according to Sports Illustrated’s Tucker D. Franklin. His 104 receptions also broke a franchise record, per Franklin, and he’s the first tight end in franchise and NFL history to record multiple 100-catch seasons.
With a revamped offensive line in Kansas City, Kelce, 31, could be in line to break some of his own NFL records in 2021. If the Chiefs’ new offensive line — which consists of Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Creed Humphrey, Trey Smith, and Lucas Niang — can give quarterback Patrick Mahomes more time in the pocket than they did last season, then it’ll give Mahomes more time to survey the field and get the football to his favorite target, which is Kelce.
Kelce, who has been an elite passing-game option for the better part of his career, has struggled as a run blocker. That’s why PFF gave him a run-blocking grade of 77.2 in 2020. However, now that Kansas City will put more of an emphasis on the run game in 2021, Kelce acknowledged early in training camp this summer that he needs to get better in that department.
“I always have to be better in the run game — be more accountable in the run game,” Kelce said.