Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has acknowledged that his high-profile off-field commitments, including his relationship with Taylor Swift and ventures into acting and hosting, may have contributed to a dip in his on-field performance over the past two seasons.
In an interview with GQ magazine, the 35-year-old said his focus had 'slipped a little bit' as he pursued opportunities in entertainment, such as hosting Saturday Night Live, appearing in Grotesquerie and Happy Gilmore 2, and hosting Amazon's Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?. He also co-hosts the New Heights podcast with his brother Jason.
Kelce stressed he does not regret taking on these roles, but admitted his standards had not been met. '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,' he said.
Statistics support his assessment: after seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2016 to 2022, Kelce posted 823 receiving yards last season and just three touchdown catches, down from a career-high 12 in 2022. The Chiefs' Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February still motivates him.
Addressing the constant media attention around his relationship with Swift, Kelce said, 'When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love.' He described their relationship as organic, noting it 'happened very organically even though from a media standpoint it was being tracked.'
Kelce will aim to prove his renewed focus when the Chiefs open their season against the Los Angeles Chargers on 5 September.
