KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Leo Chenal might be a starting strongside linebacker in the Chiefs’ defense but his football roots are on Travis Kelce’s side of the ball.
That might be why on a knee-jerk whim as an NFL rookie in 2022 – like a kid on the ropeline at a training-camp autograph session — he asked Kelce for his jersey. The future Hall of Famer initially promised to oblige, then forgot.
“He’s a special dude,” Chenal said after Wednesday’s practice, asked about the scene depicted in the new ESPN docuseries, The Kingdom. “When you talk about the greats but also being a great person, it’s an honor even being his teammate. And to call him a friend is pretty cool, too.
“And then having that memory that I’ll share with my family for generations to come is huge and something I’ll always look back and smile on.”
The memory
That memory came in Week 10 last year at Arrowhead Stadium. With one second on the fourth-quarter clock, Denver’s Wil Lutz lined up for a 35-yard walk-off field goal. Instead, Chenal collapsed the left side of the Broncos’ line and his 9¾-inch right paw preserved a 16-14 victory. Kansas City improved to 9-0 on the year.
And Chenal improved his confidence to take another shot at Kelce, three years after the first attempt.
“So, after the blocked kick,” Chenal said in the ESPN original docuseries, “I thought, ‘Now’s my opportunity. Maybe he’ll say yes this time.’ So, I walk up to him, I’m so nervous. I’m like, ‘Hey, man, I’m wondering; I made a big play. I’ve been waiting a couple years for this. Is there any way I can get that jersey, a signed jersey, now?’”
Kelce literally gave him the shirt off his back, grass stains included … and customized it.
“Leo!” Kelce wrote for Chenal on his white numeral 8. “My brother forever. One of the best on and off the gridiron! Love the way you come to work every day. Always grind!!”
Chenal admitted he didn’t realize the significance of that jersey, the value of which skyrocketed after Kelce earlier in the same game registered his 76th touchdown reception in a Chiefs uniform, tying Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez for most in franchise history.
A touchdown machine in high school
After all, touchdowns are something Chenal has always appreciated. A 240-pound running back in Grantsburg, Wis., he had nearly three times more career rushing yards in high school (3,706) than his town’s population (1,300). The state’s Gatorade Small-School Player of the Year on both offense and defense as a senior in 2019, Chenal finished with 68 rushing touchdowns and 17 touchdown receptions.
But his offensive days – and most of his touchdown scoring — were over the moment he set foot on the Madison campus.
For one, the Badgers already had a running back named Jonathan Taylor. Plus, Chenal wasn’t even No. 1 in his own family on the running-back depth chart. His older brother, John, was a sophomore fullback for the Badgers.
He shifted full-time to inside linebacker and carved out a stellar career at Wisconsin. The Chiefs took him in the third round (103rd overall) of the 2022 draft and now, he has the opportunity to help Kansas City to a fourth consecutive Super Bowl berth.
Chenal’s draft class, which includes cornerback Trent McDuffie, defensive end George Karlaftis and safety Bryan Cook, could become the first NFL players to open their NFL careers with four straight Super Bowl appearances since the Buffalo Bills’ class of 1990.
