Travis Kelce praises Chris Jones’ strength for playing in Chiefs game after funeral
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is often quick to praise his teammates, and he spoke glowingly about defensive lineman Chris Jones on the latest New Heights podcast.
Jones had two quarterback hits, a pass defended and a tackle for loss in the Chiefs’ 37-20 win over the Ravens on Sunday. He played just hours after attending the funeral of his aunt in Mississippi.
A flight carrying Jones arrived at the downtown airport less than an hour before kickoff and he didn’t get to GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium until a half-hour before the game started.
Kelce raved about Jones on Wednesday’s episode of the New Heights podcast.
“One of our absolute brothers and one of our favorite people, a friend of the show,” Kelce said. “But most of all, I’ve known Chris, I gotta say close to 10 years now. I think he’s in his 10th year, and I just love the dude, who he is, what he stands for, what he’s meant to this community, what he’s meant to this team, the leadership. I mean, can’t say enough about him and what he’s done with his career, and how he still is hungry to go get after it even more.
“For him to have that funeral that day, we would have found a way to hold it down without him, and would have played for him if he wasn’t there. But it just shows what this game is. And like he said, it’s an escape, man. It’s an escape from reality, and in those Sundays, sometimes it’s something that you need to get your mind off of the reality of things.
“We love Chris, and our hearts are with his family and everybody back in Mississippi. But superstar player, superstar human.”
The podcast showed Jones making a key stop on Ravens star running back Derrick Henry on a third-and-1 play in the fourth quarter.
Kelce added: “We love him for making the effort, man, and going out and ... balling, knowing the situation.”
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 8:54 AM.
