NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Travis Kelce credited his fiancée, Taylor Swift, with helping motivate his reported return to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 14th season.
Kelce, 36, said it was motivating to see Swift’s continued pursuit of making new music while having “love and joy” doing it.
“We share the same love for what we do and we’ve had this, luckily we’ve had this desire since we were kids in our selective profession. It’s amazing to see her keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new tunes on top of that, still see her have that love and joy in what she does,” Kelce said during a recent appearance on The PatESPN’s appearance on The PatESPN.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are seen in NoHo in New York, New York on November 6, 2025. (Aeon/GC Images)
“Yeah, it’s definitely motivating. It’s motivating for anyone to see, let alone my fiance and know that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out exactly what the future holds for me. Something like that definitely motivates me to say, ‘You know what, I’m not done either.’ I still have some ideas in the back of my mind and I still have some juice to play this game.”
The 11-time Pro Bowler said his time spent thinking about retirement was pretty “brief and short.”
“Yeah, I’m not going to lie, it was pretty short and sweet. The Chiefs knew where I was the whole time on that. I think you always have to take a step back, take a breath, let the emotions of the season settle and see where the body is at,” Kelce said.
TRAVIS KELCE’S REPORTED CONTRACT DETAILS RELEASED WITH CHIEF’S RETURN EXPECTED
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce announced their engagement in August. (TheStewartofNY/GC Images)
“I’m still in love with this game. I still love going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and playing the game.”
The three-time Super Bowl champion said his best option to play was to return to the Chiefs. He said there are a lot of pieces in the building that he loves and he can’t wait to get back into the building.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images)
The Chiefs went 6-11 and missed the playoffs for the first time in a decade. However, Kelce was still productive, catching 76 passes for 851 yards and five touchdowns. His 76 catches were the sixth-most among tight ends, and his 851 yards were fourth at the position.
Kelce said the team needs to be hungrier than they’ve ever been before and the Chiefs are hearing all the noise surrounding them after their lackluster season.
