Father Time may have claimed his latest victim, if his comments during NFL Week 11 were any indication, in Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
Following a last-second 22-19 loss to the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High on Sunday, Kelce was standoffish and cold with reporters, and sounded remarkably checked out of his team's season.
“If you’re going to ask me about the record, I could care less about that right now," Kelce said, via James Palmer of The Athletic's Scoop City.
Losses like that, at elevation no less, will sour anyone's mood. Kelce isn't the first, nor will he be the last, player who won't give the media the time of day after a stinging loss. Especially after he had a great game, hauling in nine catches for 91 yards and a touchdown pass.
Then again, those comments reflect a potentially toxic mindset that isn't long for the Kingdom.
Kelce's Postgame Comments Cause for Concern Now and the Future
Kelce not caring about the team's record is not something that Andy Reid could afford. Younger players don't need to look up to one of the team's biggest names and see a completely apathetic attitude about their team's performance.
Kelce should know better. He almost certainly does. While his past social media activity has led fans to assume he's goofy and not overly thoughtful, Kelce is very well-informed and sharp. His comments may have been intentional.
Like any great sports empire, things come crumbling down one day, and it's never pretty. Kansas City may be experiencing that now, unless there's one more magical run down the stretch for Patrick Mahomes and Co.
Kelce has contemplated retirement before, but has largely denied harping on the idea of hanging it up for long.
"I love football. I don't think I really thought about it that much," Kelce told reporters in June, via NFL.com. "... I love coming in to work every single day. It wasn't a very tough one for me. I know I'm getting older, but at the same time I still feel like I've got a lot I can prove in this league. With that being said, it really wasn't that hard of a decision for me."
That was before a 5-5 start, which has Kansas City on the outside looking in of the playoff race after Week 11. It was also before he got engaged to the world's biggest pop star, Taylor Swift.
Kelce's comments could be nothing. The man's under more stress than ever, after all.
Or, they're not nothing. The rest of the season is worth monitoring to see if this attitude from Kelce persists.