Tight end Izaiah Gathings didn’t hear his named called at the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, but he received an invitation to join the New York Jets rookie minicamp.

Gathings made a good impression with the Jets, who signed him in May. But two months later, the Jets waived Gathings to open a roster spot for another player.

Shortly after that, Gathings signed a one-year contract with the Chiefs on July 30. Gathings turned heads with some nice plays at training camp in St. Joseph, including this one.

You can add this to the #ChiefsCamp highlight reel pic.twitter.com/WmQuiOftXc 

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 8, 2023

Gathings felt at home with the Chiefs in large part because of the kindness shown to him by one of the team’s biggest stars: tight end Travis Kelce.

On his YouTube page, Gathings recounted his first meeting with Kelce in St. Joe. Gathings, who played at Middle Tennessee State, didn’t know anyone on the team, which was coming off a Super Bowl championship.

We’ve all been in that situation when around a group of people we don’t know. However, Kelce made Gathings feel welcome.

“We had just got out of practice and I walked into the lunch room to go get me some lunch,” Gathings recalled. “I just got signed with the Chiefs, so I really don’t know anybody on the team. (There’s) already people from the team in the lunch room when I get in there but I don’t know nobody so I go sit at the table by myself.

“I’m eating my food, I’m minding my own business, I’m on my phone, and I see two plates of food slap down beside me out of the corner of my eye. Who is this sitting beside me, like what the hell? All of a sudden whoever it was said, ‘Yo what’s up with you, my boy. You straight (doing OK)?’

“Fool, it’s Travis Kelce. I look up from my phone. I see who it is. I’m like, ‘Hell, yeah, I’m straight. You good?’ You feel me? I’ve been stuttering and (stuff).

“Just imagine you sitting there eating your lunch and all of a sudden Travis Kelce comes up beside you and say, ‘Boy, you straight?’ And then proceeds to sit down and have a normal convo with me, like just a regular convo.

“At that moment right there with my boy Trav, I realized like bro is just a regular cool ass dude, bro. Funny as hell, like fun to be around. Bro is cool as hell.”

Here’s the video and be aware there is some cursing.

Cool story, nice to hear it #TravisKelce #Chiefs pic.twitter.com/jIOPXZbUwz

You can add this to the #ChiefsCamp highlight reel 😤 pic.twitter.com/WmQuiOftXc

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs)

August 8, 2023

— Maryna Oleksina (@maryna_oleksina) January 4, 2024

Gathings was waived before the season, but he signed back with the Chiefs’ practice squad a few days before Christmas.