Travis & Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ podcast: Recapping the ring ceremony

The Kansas City Chiefs’ superstar tight end Travis Kelce and his older brother — former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — host a weekly podcast called “New Heights.”

The title is an homage to the Cleveland Heights neighborhood in which they grew up.
Last week, the Chiefs held their week-long mandatory minicamp, an event that was capped off with the Chiefs players and staff attending a Super Bowl ring ceremony at Nelson Atkins Art Museum. In addition, the Kelce brothers recap Father’s Day traditions from around the world and give their thoughts on the NFL’s wide receiver market — and the best way to build an NFL roster.
“New Heights” with Jason & Travis Kelce | Jukes Original Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment | You can also listen to the show on Spotify.
1. Chiefs Conditioning Test
Each player on the Chiefs’ roster must complete a conditioning test as part of the offseason mandatory minicamp. The test is the same every year and consists of 15 half-gassers (a half-gasser is a 50-yard run from one sideline to the other and back again).
Each position group has a time they have to hit to pass the test. The big skill positions, such as tight ends and linebackers, have to be done in under 18 seconds per lap.
Travis said that when you initially start running them, it’s not so bad, but somewhere in the middle, things change, and you start questioning why you didn’t do more conditioning in the offseason.
“After about eight is when you start thinking to yourself, ‘God damn it… I wish I would have run a little bit more.’”
Beyond the mental hurdle of not giving up, Travis said there is a strategy to completing them: you have to focus on one lap at a time and make the decision to turn and get going back as soon as you reach the other side.
“You got to get out of that turn though… you hit that line, and then you got to get out of that turn.”
Luckily, Travis passed and is good to go, until he has to do it all over again in training camp next month in St. Joseph, Missouri.
2. Jared Wiley
Travis likes what he has seen so far from fellow tight end and 2024 fourth-round draft pick Jared Wiley. He even thinks Wiley will do better than he did early in his career because the Chiefs offense today fits Wiley’s skill set better than it did when Travis was initially drafted by Kansas City.
“He’s making way more plays,” said Travis. “He’s way more comfortable in how he’s running routes, and seeing the field, and I think that’s a testament to how smart he is… I see a lot in Jared Wiley that suits this offense — a lot better than I suited the offense when I first got here.”
Travis praised his young counterpart, highlighting Wiley’s height and catch radius as highlights of his game.
“You put the ball anywhere in his vicinity, [and] he’s making the catch.”
3. Travis talks about retirement
The more Travis’ popularity and status rise off of the football field, the more people speculate as to whether he plans on calling it quits and hanging up his cleats any time soon.
Chiefs fans will be happy to hear that Travis doesn’t think about retiring very often.
“I don’t even think about it until people ask me,” he said.
Travis said that he has no plans to retire any time soon, and, that as long as he can continue to play football at a high level, he will suit up for the Chiefs.
“I love playing this game at the highest level possible,” said Travis. “I love playing where I know I can still have a lot of success. I know I can go out there and Moss a dude. The moment that I can’t do that, that’s when I’m going to be like, what am I doing this for?
“The moment I can’t do that, that’s probably when I’m going to decide to call it quits.”