When Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid’s first drafted Travis Kelce, the tight end was nowhere near the star he is today. Before draft day, a scout told Pro Football Weekly that the tight end was a “trainwreck character-wise.” Having been suspended for the entire 2010 season due to a failed drug test during college, Reid had enough reason to be hesitant in selecting him. Per ESPN, when the coach saw Kelce at a college game, he knew he had to be patient in course-correcting the TE.

Years later, former Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith reflected on this sentiment. On The Rich Eisen Show, Smith called Kelce the greatest receiving tight end of all time, and then added what he remembers of Travis from those early days.

“Proud to have played with him and call him a friend,” Smith said. “He got called to the principal’s office quite often – he’s matured a lot, he’s grown up a lot, he and Big Red, there were lots of tough conversations there early on Trav’s career.”

Per ESPN, in those days, Reid had to send tight ends coach Tom Melvin to wait in the player’s parking lot before team meetings. Melvin would wait for Kelce and then rush him inside when he arrived late.

Kelce was a “party guy” then, general manager Brett Veach told ESPN. Punctuality was a constant issue for Kelce when he first came to the Chiefs, as the TE regularly skipped Tuesdays, The Kansas City Star noted. It would be some time before the TE became the model player, but rules were rules.

“I knew it would be a tough (transition) for him,” Reid said. “He’s unique that way. He’ll do it, but you gotta paint the picture for him. It’s gotta be clear — back then, not a lot of gray area.”

At the same time, the Chiefs absolutely did not want to miss out on the sheer potential Travis Kelce had. The only issue was getting him into an NFL player’s mindset and making him realize that his carefree days were over.

“Coming here, having to do things a certain way, and really organizing and prioritizing his life was a challenge,” Veach said. “There were a lot of one-on-one meetings with Coach, and a lot of, ‘This is how I want things done.’ There were a ton of bumps early on, but Coach’s love and faith for Trav never wavered. He got him through a rough time early on.”

Kelce is still the same Kelce. He’ll still be up for a beer chug, and is an animated, loud person on the field even today. But even as a veteran, there have been instances where Reid has had to turn up the heat.

Andy Reid still tightens the reins on Kelce whenever necessary

The Star noted that Kelce was late to a practice in August last year and arrived at the field when the session was almost over. But that didn’t mean Kelce could call it a day too. Reid repeatedly made him run routes at the highest speeds instead, when the whole field had practically emptied.

There have been instances during games when Kelce had to be called out.

During Super Bowl LVIII, Kelce was seen screaming at Coach Reid and bumping him, frustrated because the Chiefs couldn’t gain ground on the San Francisco 49ers. The footage went viral on social media, and a few days later, on the New Heights podcast, Jason said Travis had “crossed the line.” Travis offered a sincere apology:

“I did,” he admitted. “I can’t get that fired up to that point where I’m bumping Coach, and it’s getting him off balance and stuff.”

Then there was the Week 3 matchup against the New York Giants last season. Kelce had another heated sideline exchange with Reid. After the game, Big Red addressed it at a presser and commended Travis on his intensity.

“He knows when to back off the pedal, and he knows when to push it, too,” Reid said. “That’s the part I love about him. I mean, the guy’s all in. Just sometimes, I have to be the policeman. He’s a passionate guy, and I love that part. I’ve been through a lot of things with him, so that’s all part of it. I love that he loves to play the game; that’s what I love. And it’s an emotional game, so I’ll take it.”

Travis Kelce needs the freedom to be the freak that the head coach saw when the TE was in college. But Andy Reid knew exactly when to let him run free, and when to step in. That patience has made Kelce into one of the best TEs in the league currently, who might also be up for Hall of Fame induction in the next few years.