Travis Kelce makes his true feelings about Joe Burrow crystal clear

Despite being fierce rivals on the field, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is a big fan Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow off of the gridiron. He also clearly respects Burrow's competitive drive in between the lines.

"Every time I hang around him or every time I catch up with him, man, you love the guy even more," Kelce said of Burrow during a recent episode of his podcast. "He's one of the best competitors out there. Cool hand Joe, man. Joe Shiesty. He's one of the smoothest football players. Just the most calm, cool, collected. [One of the] great competitors in the game. When you meet him, man, he's ultimately just a great dude."

Chiefs will host Bengals in Week 2

Kelce also expressed some curiosity regarding what the Bengals will look like next season after a plethora of offseason changes, but noted that as long as Burrow is out there, Cincinnati will be competitive. The Chiefs are scheduled to host the Bengals in Week 2 of the upcoming 2024 NFL season.

"It will be interesting to see what they do with their offensive weapons. They lost Joe Mixon. I know they gained Mike Gesicki – my fellow tight end. It'll be interesting what they do with the wideouts. ... It doesn't matter, as long as Joey B's out there it's going to be a hell of a game because they got great defense and great coaches."

Games between the Chiefs and Bengals have been appointment television in recent years, and this year will be no different, especially following comments that Burrow made on Kelce's podcast earlier this offseason.

"We're kind of built to beat [the Chiefs]," Burrow said. "Both teams got great players. It's always a great game. I always appreciate the legendary battles that we have."

Maybe Kelce will use Burrow's comments as an added motivator when the two teams meet in September, but after the game, Burrow is clearly a guy who Kelce would love to grab a beer with.