Travis Kelce has been one of the NFL’s top tight ends since he entered the league, and his career with the Kansas City Chiefs continues to draw attention after every season.
Kelce is coming off his worst year in terms of receiving yards and touchdowns since his rookie campaign, when a season-ending injury limited him to just one snap on special teams.
Despite a strong Super Bowl run, the Chiefs lost the big game, and Kelce considered retirement in the offseason. However, he ultimately decided to return for his 13th season, determined not to end his career on a loss.
Recently, Kelce shared a memorable story about his “Welcome to the NFL” moment, which involved a run-in with a Packers legend.
Packers Legend Responds to Travis Kelce’s Claim of a Threat
Kelce’s official rookie year was 2013, but he only played one snap before suffering a season-ending injury. His true rookie season on the field came in 2014.
Recently, Kelce appeared on “Bussin’ With The Boys” alongside former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan, where he opened up about his early career experiences. He recounted a story about facing Green Bay Packers legend Clay Matthews.
“It was that first year playing so it wasn’t ’13, it was ’14, but it was like my first couple games playing and I’ve had, maybe, 10 catches up to this point in my career,” Kelce recalled.
“And I’m going into Lambeau [Field] and I’m thinking, ‘This is Lambeau, this is my moment, this is where people are going to know me after this,'” Kelce said. “I’m all hyped up and fired up to play. I see Clay Matthews and I’m like, ‘Holy s**t, that’s f**king Clay Matthews.’
“His arms are way bigger in person than they are on TV and they are f**king enormous on TV,” Kelce said. “And it’s like the backside of a f**king outside zone, and I’m chasing him down and I kind of give him a hit and I’m like, ‘Yeah, motherf**ker.’ And he stops, squares up to me and says, ‘Don’t f**king ever f**king talk to me, I’ll f**king kill you.’”
Clay Matthews threatened Travis Kelce’s life 😳 pic.twitter.com/nLOMsTdGBd
— Bussin’ With The Boys (@BussinWTB) July 2, 2025
Kelce admitted the incident shook him up, and he was unable to respond to the trash talk. Matthews later chimed in on social media, adding his own perspective and a bit of humor to the story.
Allegedly** @tkelce 😂😂
We were BFFs by the end of the game 🫶 https://t.co/v6NnMIHz3J
— Clay Matthews III (@ClayMatthews52) July 2, 2025
While Kelce’s timeline was slightly off – the Chiefs and Packers did not play each other in 2014 – the two teams did meet in Week 3 of the 2015 season. Green Bay won that game, 38-28.
In that matchup, Kelce recorded 80 receiving yards on six catches. Meanwhile, Matthews finished with three total tackles, all of them solo, along with two tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, and three quarterback hits.