Fans of the Kansas City Chiefs and Travis Kelce would have something to thank the pop megastar, Taylor Swift for. After a tough loss in the Super Bowl, there was much speculation about whether the Chiefs' tight end would leave the NFL, but the football player ended up announcing that he will not retire yet, and it seems that Swift may have influenced that decision.
Kelce’s team suffered a tough and even humiliating defeat in the past Super Bowl 2025 against the Philadelphia Eagles, ending the game with a score of 40-22 at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans. At that time, the NFL star said on an episode of his podcast, “New Heights,” that the loss was a “hard pill to swallow,” and added: “It just wasn’t our day. I couldn’t find a hint of momentum." He continued, “I’m beating myself up over some of the tiny decisions I made on the field.”
How did Taylor Swift influence Travis Kelce to stay in the NFL?
Sources close to the couple affirm that the Grammy winner and the American football player “definitely discussed” Kelce’s retirement from his NFL team. This conversation was a life-changing topic “as a couple.”
According to sources, the 35-year-old singer made it known that she completely agreed with her partner continuing to play for the Kansas City Chiefs. “She didn’t want Travis to retire,” says a source. “She wanted him to go out with his head held high.”
The sources also claim that it was Kelce who naturally had the final say on the matter. “He has to be physically capable of doing it,” says a source, pointing out that it depends on the athlete feeling confident that his body could return to play a full season without the risk of injury.
On February 27th, Kelce finally broke the news on Pat McAfee’s ESPN show that he would not be retiring. “I’m definitely coming back,” assured the Super Bowl champion, who has spent 12 years playing in the NFL, to the ESPN host through a text he read during the show.
He continued: "I am going to try to get in the best shape I have been this offseason and return to the top of the mountain. I have a very bad taste in my mouth with the way I played in that last game and how I prepared the guys for battle. I can’t continue like this!“. After Kelce confirmed staying with the Kansas City Chiefs, the same sources assure that Swift was “happy with his decision”.
The host of “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?” has confessed that the singer of “Fortnight” has been “completely encouraging” him to play soccer. He said on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” in January: "I have all the support in the world to continue pursuing these dreams“.