Overview

• A GQ profile published August 12 reveals Kelce’s emotional 2013 meeting with then-Browns coach Rob Chudzinski in which he cried and begged to play for his hometown team.
• Born in Westlake and raised in Cleveland Heights, Kelce says he told Chudzinski he would ‘die for this city’ and left the coach visibly stunned.
• Cleveland’s No. 6 overall pick in 2013 was used on Barkevious Mingo and the team had no second-round choice, forcing it to bypass Kelce before Kansas City selected him 63rd overall.
• Kelce has since become one of the NFL’s most decorated tight ends, earning 10 Pro Bowl nods, multiple All-Pro honors and three Super Bowl rings while setting franchise receiving records.
• The widely reported anecdote invites ‘what if’ speculation about how different draft decisions might have altered both Kelce’s career and the Browns’ franchise trajectory.