The Kansas City Chiefs welcomed some special guests to their mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, June 17, and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce made sure their days were unforgettable.
Through the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Chiefs hosted Diego and Jacob, two fans suffering from chronic medical conditions. Mahomes, 29, and Kelce, 35, took time to greet them both and hand out gifts.
“Made some days yesterday ❤️,” the Chiefs wrote via Instagram, next to a carousel of photos and videos from the day. “With the help of Make-A-Wish, Diego, who has congenital heart disease, and Jacob, who is battling cystic fibrosis, came out to practice and created memories that will last a lifetime.”
The kids went home with signed footballs, practice-used gear from the players and bragging rights to take back to their friends from having casual conversations with their idols. In a video the Chiefs posted via TikTok on Thursday, June 19, running back Isiah Pacheco even joked that the kids now have more team gear than he does.
Travis Kelce has no problem being known to fans as Taylor Swift‘s boyfriend. In a video shared via the Kansas City Chiefs on Wednesday, June 12, Kelce, 34, and his teammates were paid a special visit during practice. “The guys got to spend some time with Make-A-Wish kiddo Jackson yesterday who, after 7 rounds of […]
The Chiefs have made it routine to invite Make-A-Wish recipients to practice or special events in the past. Just last weekend, they also hosted Turbo, a fan with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. In April, Mahomes met with Ben, an 11-year old fan battling a nervous system disorder.
As camp wraps up, Kansas City is gearing up for another run at a Super Bowl — maybe its last with the future Hall of Famer Kelce at tight end. Kansas City fell, 40-22, in the Super Bowl in February against the Philadelphia Eagles. Though Kelce openly considered retirement after the loss, he opted to return for a 13th season with the Chiefs.
Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. David Eulitt/Getty Images
“I didn’t feel like it was my last game,” he told the media on Wednesday, June 18. “I feel like I have a lot more to prove and I have so much fun coming into the building.”
Kelce is entering the final season of his $34.25 million contract with Kansas City.
As has become the norm in the NFL, the Chiefs are among the teams seen as a Super Bowl favorite as the 2025 season approaches. For Kelce, anything less than a fourth championship would be unacceptable.
“That’s the only way I determine whether [the season is] a success or not,” he said. ”It’s how I’m wired now. Early on in my career I would set those goals for myself and I just think it’s more of a genuine feeling and the right mentality to go out there and try to make the right play for my team.”
With minicamp now over, the Chiefs will open their preseason schedule Saturday, August 9, on the road against the Arizona Cardinals.