Travis Kelce Says Taylor Swift’s Ambition Fueled His NFL Comeback for 14th Season
Travis Kelce is officially returning to the NFL for one more season — thanks in part to fiancée Taylor Swift. Kelce’s future with the organization was long uncertain, with many fans believing he would retire after his most recent season. He said the ambition they both have helped fuel his potential final season with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Travis Kelce shared how Taylor Swift inspired his decision to return to the NFL
Many believed Kelce’s latest season with the Kansas City Chiefs would be his last. His contract was due to expire and, at 36, he is approaching retirement age. On March 23, however, he signed a new contract with the Chiefs. This will be his 14th season with the team.
Kelce, who got engaged to Swift in 2025, said they both share an ambition that makes it difficult to walk away from things.
“We share the same love for what we do, and we’ve had this … desire,” he said on The Pat McAfee Show. “I’m still in love with this game … I still love going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and just playing the game, you know.”
He added that watching Swift continue to work hard at her music career made him realize he didn’t want to give up his football career just yet.
“Yeah, of course that’s motivating,” he said. “That’s motivating for anyone to see, let alone my fiancée, and knowing that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out what exactly the future holds for me, something like that definitely motivates me to say, ‘You know what, I’m not done either.'”
He added that he is eager to start playing again.
“I can’t wait to get back in the building.”
Travis Kelce spoke about the way Taylor Swift’s career impresses him
Kelce has frequently discussed the ways in which Swift impresses him. He sees her as a high-level athlete.
“She may not think of herself as an athlete,” he told GQ in 2025. “She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I’ve seen what she goes through. I’ve seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it’s mind-blowing.”
In some ways, he admitted he thinks her touring regimen is more difficult than anything he does on the field.
“It is a football-field-sized computer,” he said. “You take that into Singapore, where it is scorching hot, and all of a sudden you’re feeling the fumes from the computer and you’re feeling the fumes from the sun and you’re doing a show for three hours with a lot of energy, bringing it every single song. That is arguably more exhausting than how much I put in on a Sunday, and she’s doing it three, four, five days in a row.”
Swift herself has discussed the physical toll that touring takes on her body.
He appeared to give her a shoutout on his way to sign his contract
When Kelce signed his new contract with the Chiefs, he walked past a framed picture of Swift performing her Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium. As he walked past the photo, he waved at it and appeared to say, “Hey sweetie, how are you?”
Kelce’s new contract has a maximum term of three years for a potential total value of $57.735 million. He will make a guaranteed $12 million to play one season.
