Andy Reid on sideline scuffle with Travis Kelce: ‘It’s an emotional game’

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid and star tight end Travis Kelce got into a heated verbal exchange in the first half of the Chiefs’ win over the New York Giants on Sept. 21.

Following a missed field goal from Kansas City in the second quarter, Reid and Kelce were caught on camera arguing. Reid was seen bumping Kelce, and the two continued to exchange words as they meandered down the sideline.

While Kelce was not available to talk to reporters following Kansas City’s 22-9 victory, Reid spoke about the sideline scuffle and downplayed it.

“I mean, he’s a passionate guy and I love that part,” Reid said. “I’ve been through a lot of things with him, so that’s all part of it. I love that he loves to play the game, that’s what I love. And it’s an emotional game, so I’ll take it.”

Reid continued.

“The question came up yesterday about Travis and the intensity and all that,” Reid said. “Is he frustrated or not frustrated? Well, he’s seen how the offense works, and so when things aren’t going the right way, he’s very aware of that. He’s a pretty smart guy, and he’s been doing it longer than anyone else on this team has been doing it. He wants to make sure he gets that point across to the guys, and so he does that. I’m OK with that part. He knows also, like the coaches know, where we can go with this, too, and the growth we can have here. And we need to take care of business in that area.”

It’s not clear what the subject of their conversation was, but maybe some frustrations simply boiled over with how the Chiefs have fared to start the season. Kansas City was still looking for its first win of the 2025 season when it took on the Giants and was hoping to avoid its first 0-3 start in over a decade.

Fortunately, Kelce and the Chiefs ended up picking up their first win of the season, but Kansas City left a lot to be desired with its level of play in the opening half of Sunday’s game. The Chiefs led by just three points against a winless Giants team at halftime before they outscored New York 13-3 in the second half.

While the Chiefs got back in the win column, Kelce didn’t look all that great against New York from an individual standpoint, as he totaled just 26 receiving yards on four receptions.

Sunday didn’t mark his first unspectacular showing of the campaign, either, as he’s averaging just 44.7 receiving yards per game so far this season. It’s the lowest average Kelce has posted since his rookie season when he appeared in just one game.

Kelce is starting to show some signs of decline in his 13th NFL season, and that’s not all that shocking with his 36th birthday coming up early next month.

However, he’s still a vitally important part of Kansas City’s offensive attack. It could very well be important to the team’s Super Bowl chances that Kelce and Reid are on the same page moving forward.