Is he ready for this?
Travis Kelce revealed that his girlfriend Taylor Swift encouraged him to continue showing up and showing up on the field as he clarified his stance on potentially retiring from the NFL.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 35, was asked about the 14-time Grammy winner’s thoughts on his career as he nears the end of his 12th season during Wednesday’s episode of “The Stephen A. Smith Show.”
“She fully encourages me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce said.
The three-time Super Bowl champion added that the “Fortnight” hitmaker “loves coming” to his games and enjoys “cheering for him” at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.
“I have had all the support in the world to continue to pursue these dreams,” he said.
Swift attended 13 Chiefs games during the 2023 season after her relationship with the athlete became public.
The “Cruel Summer” singer was no stranger to Arrowhead Stadium in 2024, having attended several Chiefs home games with friends and family this season.
Kelce briefly touched on his thoughts on retirement, expressing his opinion on hanging up his cleats for good “changes every day.”
“I love everything I do…but at the end of the day, I haven’t had as much success on the field,” Kelce said of the Chiefs’ current season.
“I’m excited for these next two games…to finish this season. I’ll reevaluate it like I always do (and) I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and come back next year.
“It’s just something to keep in perspective and I never want to get to the point where I’m not helping this team win or where I’m hurting this team more than I’m helping this team “, he added.
The “New Heights” podcaster said fans can expect to see him “in a Chiefs uniform” as long as he plays “good football.”
Speaking in September, Kelce said he was “struggling stats-wise”, but admitted his team had still managed to find “ways to win games”.
“We’re not playing our best football,” Kelce said at the time, adding that he hasn’t “really (received) a lot of opportunities” to play.
Kelce has three touchdown catches in 2024 – falling one short of last year’s mark and totaling 823 yards. He recorded 984 yards last season.
Still, the Chiefs held on and are now 15-2.
They earned a bye in last week’s Wild Card round and are scheduled to face the Houston Texans on Saturday.
Kelce’s team, seeking a third straight Super Bowl victory, dominated Houston in Week 16 of the regular season, 27-19.
The Texans beat the Chargers last week in their wild-card matchup, 32-12.
The winner of Saturday’s Chiefs-Texans game will face the Ravens-Bills winner, which begins Sunday night.
Swift, for her part, is enjoying some much-needed downtime following the conclusion of her sold-out Eras tour in December.
