Travis & Jason Kelce’s ‘New Heights’ Ep. 41: DeAndre Hopkins — and Bell getting blazed

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his older brother — Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce — host a weekly podcast called “New Heights.” The title is an homage to the Cleveland Heights, Ohio, neighborhood in which they grew up.

In this episode, the Kelce brothers discuss the best landing spot for wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, Le’Veon Bell’s admission that he smoked marijuana before games, how to snap a dead ball and whether Travis should go full Nicholas Cage (from “National Treasure”) when the Chiefs visit the White House.

“New Heights” with Jason & Travis Kelce | Jukes Original Presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment | You can also listen to the show on Spotify.

1. DeAndre Hopkins’ landing spot

Now that Hopkins has been released by the Arizona Cardinals, Jason and Travis dove into the best landing spot for the three-time All-Pro wide receiver.

“I feel like the Chiefs might be the best fit,” said Jason. “He’s a really good receiver. I don’t know how much cap space you guys got, but I feel like that would work out pretty well.”

That, however, is the exact problem. Arrowhead Pride currently estimates the Chiefs’ cap space at just $1.1 million. It was recently reported that Hopkins wants a multi-year contract with an average annual value close to the $15 million that wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. got from the Baltimore Ravens — which means that to sign Hopkins, Kansas City would have to clear a lot of cap space.

2. Le’Veon Bell admits to burning one before kickoff

In news that seemed to shock no one — including his former teammate Travis — the former Chiefs running back had appeared on Barstool Sports’ “Steel Here” podcast, saying that used to blast off to Planet Ganja before playing in NFL games.

“I’d smoke and I’d go out there and run for 150 yards and two touchdowns,” Bell told co-host Jersey Jerry.

“Yes, you did. Le’Veon,” said Travis — who was famously kicked off the University of Cincinnati football team after testing positive for marijuana use. “Could you imagine being high on an NFL field — with grown men running at you?”

Jason, however, wondered if weed should be considered a performance-enhancing drug.

“Everybody’s brain works differently,” he noted. “Some guys get anxious — and doing that helps them. I mean, there are all sorts of things that any drug can do to your mental state — and if Le’Veon I went out there and balled out while he was doing that?”

During his time with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Bell was known as one of the league’s most patient runners. Maybe there was a reason he always looked so laid back with the ball in his hands.

3. Henry Winkler wants Travis to play fullback

Last week, the former “Happy Days” star (and now Chiefs fan) joked on Kay Adams’ “Up and Adams” show that Kansas City had drafted him to carry the ball in the 2023 season — and that just as head coach Andy Reid had suggested, Travis would be leading the way as a blocking fullback.

“That would be a phenomenal waste of Travis Kelce’s talent, Henry,” chided Jason. “I don’t know why you would choose one of the most absolutely dominant and transcendent talents in the game at receiver (and split outside of the formation) and put him in the backfield to use him as a fullback.”

Despite Reid’s statement last week, we probably shouldn't expect Travis to serve as a fullback on a regular basis. A player like backup tight end Noah Gray would seem to be better suited for the job — and if he played some snaps at fullback, it likely wouldn’t be considered a waste of the team’s resources.

But for what it’s worth, Travis seemed down with the idea.

“Jason,” he deadpanned, “I’m evolving my game — and taking my game to new heights.”