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Off the field, however, there is nothing but
love between the two 31-year-olds.
"He's the best player on the Chiefs’ offense," said Gronkowski,
the three-time Super Bowl champion who will face Kelce in
Sunday's Super Bowl showdown.
"He gets the drive going, he makes the big plays, he's very
reliable and he's been there for a while."
The five-time Pro Bowler came out of retirement this season to
join his former New England Patriots team mate Tom Brady in
Tampa.
Going into Sunday, his impressive career stats include 86
receiving touchdowns and 8,484 receiving yards.
Gronkowski was full of praise for six-time Pro Bowler Kelce, who
broke the single-season record for receiving yards by a tight
end with 1,416 in 2020.
"He has helped put the tight end position on the map," said
Gronkowski. "One thing that's very intriguing about Travis Kelce,
and I never really seen this with any other player in the NFL
before, is that Kelce gets better every single year."
Kelce, the first tight end to record five consecutive seasons
with more than 1,000 receiving yards, said he's "been a Gronk
fan before I even got in the league."
But that mutual admiration does not stop each of them chasing
their career goals.
"I've never beaten Rob Gronkowski... and Tom Brady in a playoff
situation, and I'm very aware of that," said Kelce, who had the
second most receiving yards of any player in 2020.
"I think the AFC Championship game a couple years ago has fueled
me to be more accountable for my team mates and to be better out
there on the field when it's needed."
(Reporting by Amy Tennery, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
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