The Kansas City Chiefs’ 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.
In this episode: Chiefs starting right guard Trey Smith joins the brothers to discuss his journey to the NFL, what it’s like to play with quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the outlook of rookie starting left tackle Josh Simmons. Predictably, Travis and Jason refrained from asking Smith about his ongoing contract negotiations during the interview.
“New Heights” with Jason & Travis Kelce | Presented by Wondery | You can also listen to the show on Spotify.
Let’s take a look at some of the highlights from the episode:
1. Rookie left tackle Josh Simmons
If you’re a Chiefs fan, you’ve probably been waiting with bated breath to see rookie first-round draft pick Josh Simmons in action.
Well, if Travis Kelce’s early reaction is any indication, the Chiefs may have landed the steal of the draft.
During the podcast, Travis recounted going up against Simmons during practice when the rookie was filling in on the scout team.
“He was being a scout team defensive end,” said a wide-eyed Travis, “and I felt that man’s hands grab me, and I was like, all right, all right…”
Smith confirmed the assessment, noting that while he hadn’t met Simmons yet, he’d already heard about his strength.
“I just heard that he is so strong — like unbelievably strong. Obviously the talent is there. I think he’s going to be a great asset to the team.”
But it was Jason who delivered the biggest compliment — and the most reason for optimism — when he said after watching Simmons’ tape:
“He’s the closest thing I’ve seen to a Trent Williams… that next-level strength and athleticism.”
If that’s true, Kansas City might be about to unleash something unstoppable.
2. Blood clots in college
Smith also opened up about a terrifying health ordeal during his time at Tennessee. In his sophomore year, he developed blood clots in his lungs — a condition that sidelined him for the season.
Although the team doctors initially thought they’d resolved it, symptoms returned in his junior year. That’s when Smith was sent to the Cleveland Clinic, where specialists discovered scar tissue in his lungs.
“I ended up going to a blood clotting specialist in North Carolina,” Smith said. “He created a health plan that had never been done in the sport of football before.”
The plan involved taking blood thinners daily, but stopping the medication on Friday mornings so he could safely play on Saturdays.
“That means no practice, no contact, no training camp. I would literally just be vibing out doing cardio and watching film.”
Smith is no longer on that regimen, but credits it with saving his career
3. Watching KC win Super Bowl LIV
Smith shared a surreal story when asked about his first impressions of the Chiefs.
Thanks to former Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt, he watched Kansas City win its first Super Bowl in 50 years — live from Miami.
“Through the University of Tennessee, they sent me down there to work the event, ushering people around,” Smith explained. “Colquitt and his buddies found me and were like ‘Nah, you’re coming with us.’ So I watched the game with them.”
Fast forward a couple of years, and things came full circle for Smith as he was the one on the field helping Kansas City hoist the Lombardi Trophy.
4. Playing with Patrick Mahomes
There’s always a “Welcome to the NFL” moment for every rookie. For Smith, the toughest adjustment wasn’t the speed or the size. It was learning how to block for Patrick Mahomes when he starts extending the play.
“It was a tough transition out of college,” he said. “I wasn’t used to someone extending the plays like that. I struggled so much with just sustaining the block. (Offensive line) coach [Andy] Heck used to get on me every day about not letting the egg timer in your head go off.”
Clearly, Smith figured it out, so he’s now poised for a massive payday once he and the Chiefs reach a new contract agreement.
