Jody Fortson, a three-time Super Bowl champion and former Kansas City Chiefs tight end, has named Travis Kelce as his all-time favourite teammate following his exit.
Fortson has moved on to join the Miami Dolphins after five years and three Super Bowls with the Chiefs, where he was Kelce’s back-up. Despite having limited playing time, Fortson couldn’t hide his joy when asked about playing alongside the NFL superstar.
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During his introductory press conference, Fortson shared: “Travis Kelce is my favorite teammate of all time. On any level, Pop Warner, High School, or College, Travis is my favorite teammate. Not only because he took his time trying to teach me the role of being the tight end, but because of how a great person is he didn’t even have to.
“He just showed unconditional love and knowledge for the game. Being in a room and Kelce, it probably… not even probably… it sent me four light years of where I would have been had I not had him.
“He is arguably the greatest of all-time, and having him in that room, being able to learn and see how he’s attacking different routes and why he views coverage like this and why he sees well, how he’s able to find the holes and other stuff like you’re not able to get that unless you’re with somebody that knows that.”
Jody Fortson named Kelce as his favorite teammate ever ( Image:
YouTube/Miami Dolphins)
While Kelce – who is dating pop star Taylor Swift – is far from a shy character, he has admitted that he does not like to be a vocal leader and says very little in preparations for games, leaving that role to the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. However, Fortson stated that when he talks, his presence commands the attention of the room, with him making the time to help his back-up’s progress and improve.
“So, being in a room with Kelce these last few years has been an extraordinary blessing to my game,” added Fortson. “Taking patience from the game like I used to be rushing my routes and stuff, but like, even going to Kelce’s house and like, ‘Hey, man, you can slow it down’.
“Like every route doesn’t have to be 100 miles an hour, you can kind of play with the tempo. You can maneuver it a little bit like there’s a lot of different nuances of the game that I learned from him.”
Fortson has struggled with injuries throughout his career, keeping him out of the 2023 season and losing his place to Noah Gray – who shined as Kelce’s back-up. The Chiefs have now signed Irv Smith Jr, a former second-round pick, to strengthen their team. This is to replace Fortson, who will be aiming to secure the top spot with the Dolphins.