Greg Olsen On Travis Kelce’s Return, Why The Kansas City Chiefs Are Not An Automatic Playoff Team

Kelce is obviously not the tight end he once was when he was a seven-time All-Pro selection. The three-time Super Bowl champion posted his 11th consecutive Pro Bowl bid with 76 catches for 851 yards and five touchdowns this past season.

It was his lowest amount of receptions in a single season since 2015 and his receiving yards were the second lowest since the 2014 season.

The Chiefs are obviously facing many major question marks this season and they’re not the obvious go-to favorites in the AFC as they had been in previous seasons. Prior to Patrick Mahomes’ torn ACL last season – the Chiefs ended up missing the playoffs – they had advanced to at least the AFC Championship Game every season since 2018, winning three of their five Super Bowl appearances.

Kansas acquired former first-round draft pick Justin Fields as an insurance policy for Mahomes in case he can’t return to the starting lineup by the start of the season.

When asked what Kelce brings to the table at this stage of his career, Olsen said you “can’t teach” the relationship he has built in with Mahomes this deep into their careers.

“You just can’t teach the relationship that he has with with Mahomes and of cours him now coming off the injury,” said Olsen." We’ll see what that timetable looks like with those two guys being back out there together. But you can’t put a price tag on his leadership, his presence in the huddle, his presence in that organization. He’s – along with Mahomes – has become one of the faces of the entire, not just the organization, but the entire NFL.

“That reliability, that savviness, that veteran presence, this is a guy that’s been tested at all levels in the regular season,” Olsen continued. “He has his best games when it matters the most, in the postseason, Super Bowls, critical moments. You can’t find guys like that. I don’t care how good of a young player is that you draft. I don’t care how fast they run – you can’t find guys like Travis and smart of the Chiefs organization to realize it.”

Greg Olsen Said It’s “Hard” To Determine If Chiefs Are Automatic Playoff Contender

The Chiefs are coming off of a 6-11 campaign and struggled drastically even when Mahomes was in the lineup. They were actually 6-8 at the time of Mahomes’ injury and lost their final three games without him in the lineup.

The hope is that Mahomes’ eventual recovery from his ACL injury combined with the returns of Kelce and head coach Andy Reid – along with a veteran nucleus largely intact from their Super Bowl appearance during the 2024 season – can put the Chiefs back into playoff contention.

Olsen isn’t ready to commit to that idea, saying it’s “hard” to assess this early in the offseason before the NFL draft and before training camp starts.

“I think right now it’s hard to say,” said Olsen. “I think it’s hard to say, so much hinges upon any team that might not have their starting quarterback going into the opening week of the season. Obviously, it has question marks. When it’s Patrick Mahomes, arguably one of the best players in the entire league, it certainly magnifies the situation. Andy Reid and a lot of those guys have been around for a long time. Can they weather that loss? Can they keep it afloat? Sure.”

The Fox Sports commentator said a lot hinges on when Mahomes returns to the lineup and his overall recovery from the injury. Mahomes recently returned to the field for throwing work and Reid recently said there is a strong possibility that the star quarterback returns in time for Week 1.

"Can Steve Spagnuolo on defense continue to keep that defense rolling and carry the load with Chris Jones and some of those other good pieces? Sure," Olsen said. "But make no mistake about it, your team is not as good without Patrick Mahomes than it is with Patrick Mahomes. The number one priority of that organization is getting him healthy on whatever timeline that is.

“If he’s not back for Week 1, so be it, because they got to ensure that when Patrick Mahomes is back, he is 100% the Patrick mahomes that we’ve seen for give or take a decade,” said Olsen. “They keep him lined up behind center, that is their two of their number one priorities this season. And from there, we’ll see how the draft goes. We’ll see. Can they continue to find some more offensive pieces to solidify the O-line? A couple other question marks that are out there, but never count out Mahomes, never count out Andy Reid. They’ve been doing it at a high level for a long time."

Greg Olsen Teams Up With All-Time Great Tight Ends For Novartis’ Prostate Cancer Awareness Ad

Olsen, along with other all-time great tight ends such as Rob Gronkowski, Tony Gonzalez and George Kittle, recently starred in a Novartis campaign called “Relax Your Tight End” aimed at raising prostate cancer awareness. The ad aired during the Super Bowl with former NFL head coach Bruce Arians also involved, a prostate cancer survivor himself.

“Our fun ad that we were able to do in partnership with Novartis and their campaign around prostate screening and early detection,” said Olsen. "Prostate cancer is one the most common forms of cancer among men in the United States. With early detection, it’s also one of the most treatable. To join them with some of my fellow tight ends and do a fun Super Bowl commercial and have a good time with relaxing your tight end, but just getting the message out there that with a very simple blood test, early detection, can save lives, and everyone can do it.

“It’s super simple, super easy,” Olsen continued. “Just to get this campaign out there and get this message into hundreds of millions of households across the country could save your life or someone close to you, and that’s the message ultimately we’re trying to get out there.”

This article was originally published on Forbes.com