Chiefs TE Travis Kelce opens up about relationship with Taylor Swift, possibilities after NFL

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - As Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce heads into his last year on contract, he’s opening up about what life after the NFL may look like, alongside international icon Taylor Swift.

In an extended interview with GQ, the Chiefs tight end opened up about fame, his relationship, his family life and more. But, one thing he is still unsure of is what happens after he retires from the league.

Author Sean Manning traveled to South Florida, where Travis spent the off-season training with speed and agility coach Tony Villani. He started to train Kelce more than a decade prior, before the NFL Combine.

Since then, GQ said Travis recently moved his off-season regimen to Los Angeles, so he could pursue a budding career in film and television. But this year, after a devastating Super Bowl defeat, Kelce went back east to regroup and get his head back in the game.

Nearly four months after the heartbreaking 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles - sans Travis’ older brother, former Eagles Center Jason Kelce - Travis remains hard on himself, according to Manning. He blames himself for splitting his priorities between his television career.

“I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard,” Travis told GQ. “I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys.”

In a whirlwind offseason, Kelce split his time between training in South Florida and obligations in Kansas City. Not to mention co-hosting the New Heights podcast, which was licensed in a reportedly $100 million deal.

He’s still found a way to have fun, especially with partner and international superstar Taylor Swift. Nearly half a dozen Super Bowl appearances and three rings later, Kelce has made a case to be considered the greatest tight end in the NFL.

From a childhood playing the class clown to a college career that forced him to be serious about the game, now, GQ said that even former Chiefs teammates recognize his passion and creativity. According to Kelce, that passion even rubbed off on Swift.

“I sort of made her a football fan,” Kelce told GQ. “She is the most engulfed fan now. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short—all these things, because she just naturally loves to hear about my job.”

When you think about it, the two actually have a lot in common - entertaining sold-out stadiums breeds intense performers, Swift and Kelce included. In fact, Kelce has learned a thing or two from the international icon that is Taylor Swift.

“Whenever I get in front of a crowd, I feel like I’ve got to be like, Woooo! Like, excited, bringing the energy. Then I saw that coolness and that calmness and that relatability that she is so good at presenting. I really grabbed that,“ Kelce beamed to Manning. ”Like, Man, I can use that side of entertainment as well. It’s not just always being the guy that brings the energy and creates these exciting moments.”

Swift’s ability to push herself to accomplish her next goal is something Kelce says he saw in his mother growing up, as she worked her way up the ranks of KeyBank in Cincinnati.

Kelce says that Swift’s mindset has even changed the way he thinks about his own legacy. Instead of numbers and stats, he wants to be respected and loved - the “leave it better than where it was when I started” mentality that he sees ever-present in Taylor’s work.

Now, going into the last year of his contract, GQ says Kelce is in a unique position, boosted by the millions of fans of his budding relationship. A media enterprise that benefits from his relationship but is not dependent on it.

As for what’s next, Travis remains relatively tight-lipped. He does have a few more years on the New Heights agreement and investments in Missouri car washes. He also enjoys acting and developing his on-camera skills, but he’s not sure if it’s something he will continue after the NFL.

One thing’s for sure: GQ found that Kelce wants to stay around the football world while dabbling in other areas, like his big brother. Whatever he chooses, he says balance is the key - not to get too busy traveling that he’s not present at home, with family.

No matter what, GQ noted that Travis’ fame and influence always make him appreciate where he comes from.