Chiefs’ Marquez Valdes-Scantling says Travis Kelce is an MVP candidate
"I think we got a good case that Travis could win one."
If a TE is ever going to win MVP, @MVS__11 knows "the best tight end in #NFL history" @tkelce is the one to do it 👀#ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/yNTqhEqcrv
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) December 16, 2022
The bond of a team is an essential factor in the success of an NFL regular season. Teammates supporting and respecting each other’s abilities add to the chemistry, and the Kansas City Chiefs have built a unified culture over the past few seasons.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling is in his first season with the Chiefs and has become accustomed to the team’s way of doing things. He’s made an impact on the field, but at times finds himself wowed by the greatness of teammates Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
The veteran receiver shared his thoughts on Kelce’s MVP chances and dubbed him the best tight end in history during a recent conversation with The 33rd Team.
“I tweeted out last week about a tight end winning the MVP, man. And obviously, we got a pretty good front-runner over here at quarterback,” said Valdes-Scantling. “But I think we got the next best guy in line, at tight end, get a guy who’s in this ninth or 10th Season wherever he’s in and has 1000 yards and has 10,000 yards on his career, man, he’s broken every single record that you could take out of that tight end, he’s chasing down all these goats at tight end. I think we got a good case that Travis (Kelce) can go and win one because every week, he’s just doing something crazy. Putting up yards, guys are trying to triple-team him. I mean, he’s still wide open in the middle of the field.”
Kelce recently passed Pro Football Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe for fourth on the all-time list. Valdes-Scantling has found a solid role in the Chiefs’ offense this season and spoke candidly about the shock he feels when he’s double-teamed over Kelce on certain plays.
“I just don’t understand how the best tight end in the history of football is running wide-open down the field half the time. It blows my mind,” said Valdes-Scantling. “We talk about it all the time. Just like there’s plays where I’m running a certain route. And I got four guys covering me, and Travis is wide open in the middle of the field, like how do you leave that guy wide open? Like, I know I got some pretty good stats with the yards per catch and stuff. But I mean, you can’t leave the best tight end in the history of football just wide open, and it just seems to happen all the time.”
The support for Kelce is clear amongst his teammates as the all-pro consistently showcases his greatness. The MVP voting tends to favor quarterbacks and other skills positions, but perhaps this is as good a year as any for Kelce to be considered for the honor and make history in the process.