Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce’s first business trip of the 2024 NFL season has begun as the Kansas City Chiefs arrived in Jacksonville for their first preseason friendly.
The three-time Super Bowl-winning tight end wore a beige silk shirt, black hat and his new mustache as he made his way into Jaguar Football Stadium.
Mahomes, meanwhile, wore his usual sunglasses and a red collared shirt with the team logo.
To mark the occasion, the Chiefs’ social media accounts dubbed Kelce “Summertime Trav” and Mahomes “Polo Pat.”
The game comes after Kelce’s girlfriend Taylor Swift and her fans were subjected to terror threats in Austria this week.
The photo of Mahomes’ arrival in Jacksonville was adorned with the Oakley sunglasses logo
The three-time Super Bowl winning tight end wore a beige silk shirt
Austrian authorities on Friday announced a third arrest in connection with the foiled plot that targeted three now-canceled Swift concerts, after disappointed fans in Vienna created enchantment by exchanging friendship bracelets and singing the pop star’s songs in the streets.
The main suspect, a 19-year-old, had planned to attack spectators outside the Ernst Happel Stadium during the concert on Thursday or Friday – up to 30,000 each evening, with another 65,000 inside the stadium – with knives or homemade explosives. The suspect hoped to “kill as many people as possible,” authorities said.
A 15-year-old was also questioned but not arrested. Their names were not published in accordance with Austrian data protection regulations.
Swift will travel to London’s Wembley Stadium for five more concerts between August 15 and 20, concluding the European leg of her record-breaking Eras tour.
Back in Jacksonville, Kelce and Mahomes are expected to play against the Jaguars on Saturday night.
“One in the fourth, two in the second quarter, three in the third quarter, four in the fourth quarter,” head coach Andy Reid said Wednesday about his plans to split playing time against the Jaguars. “We’re just going to stick with that.”
Reid’s preseason philosophy may be at odds with that of many teams when it comes to preseason games.
It is no longer uncommon for some of the NFL’s biggest stars, especially the starting quarterback position, to either not play or not participate in the tryouts.
However, Reid prefers his players to experience some live action.
“I let them get going,” Reid said. “Some know how to do it, both sides of the ball, they know how to do it. You’ve got to go somewhere and shoot, and this gives them the opportunity to do it.”
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is happy with the playing time he is getting against the Jaguars.
But don’t be surprised if Mahomes ends up on the bench after a series or two.
Kelce was all smiles when he was spotted by cameras on his way to the stadium
Mahomes played a total of six snaps in the 2023 season opener against the New Orleans Saints. He played a total of 11 plays against the Chicago Bears in 2022 and four snaps against the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
Mahomes doesn’t mind not getting enough playing time in the late summer. He joked that he didn’t mind taking a hit from a defender in the preseason.
“I always want to get hit, but I don’t want to get hit hard,” Mahomes said. “So if I can just throw the ball and one of those defensive ends just wants to give me a little push, that’s all I need, so it’s cool.”
“Honestly, I like playing in the preseason. When I go in there, I try to make sure we’re doing everything right, and when I go out, I try to keep everyone healthy.”
The Chiefs hope to get Mahomes’ comments on execution and injury prevention in Jacksonville.
In the former case, the Chiefs want to evaluate players who are competing for either a starting spot or a roster spot.
And this game is their first opportunity to show what they can do.
“I’m excited to see how all these young guys compete,” Reid said. “The higher the draft picks, the better they are. The competition is a little bit higher, so I want to see how they handle it.”
Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo agreed with Reid.
“Guys who haven’t spent much time there yet, I’d like to see them,” said Spagnuolo. “Of course you all know the young guys.”
“I mean, I told them in the meeting that I know from the guys I’ve been around here which ones are tough and which ones are just pretending to be tough. I mean, I’m trying to figure out if the guys are tough enough to play in this league and do the things we need to do.”
