Travis Kelce is one of the greatest players in the history of the Kansas City Chiefs, not to mention one of the greatest tight ends ever.
But when he was coming out of college, he really wanted to play for the Cleveland Browns.
Kelce is from Cleveland Heights, a local kid who grew up rooting for the Browns before heading to Cincinnati for college.
And in a new interview with GQ, Kelce relayed an incredible story about his pre-draft visit to Cleveland when he got to speak with coach Rob Chudzinski.
"I cried in Chud's office," Kelce recalled, "and said, 'I will f—ing die for this city!' I literally was in tears. I said, 'I'm sorry I'm getting emotional. I grew up down the street. I would f—ing do anything to play for the Cleveland Browns.' He looked at me like I was insane. I don't think he'd ever had somebody just pour out their emotions."
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There's something about the vibe of this story that makes a lot of sense. It just feels like a Kelce kind of story.
Clearly, he's made the most of his time in Kansas City, especially alongside Patrick Mahomes.
But could you imagine how his fate might've been different if he ended up with the Browns?
Cleveland's franchise has had a way in recent years of not maximizing its players' talents. Would Kelce have reached greatness with the Browns?
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If Kelce had transcended and reached his ceiling anyway, would that have helped Baker Mayfield last and succeed? Would Cleveland have been a perennial contender? How far can a tight end take a team?
That's an alternate universe that none of us will ever know.
And it's too bad, because the origin story for Kelce is even that much better if the Browns actually do pick him after he bawls his eyes out in his interview.
Instead, the Chiefs took the talented but at-the-time mercurial tight end, and they turned him into a Hall of Famer.
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