Travis Kelce says NFL career ‘slipped' during acting pivot: ‘Haven't been to my standard'
During a wide-ranging GQ interview about his career and relationship with Taylor Swift, the three-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs expressed how the 'past two years haven't been to [his] standard' as he dabbled in entertainment endeavors off the field.
'I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of acting and being an entertainer,' Kelce, 35, said in the September issue of the publication.
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6 Travis Kelce covers the September 2025 issue of GQ.
Ryan McGinley for GQ
6 Travis Kelce starred in the FX drama 'Grotesquerie' in the fall of 2024.
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'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.'
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Ahead of the 2024 season, the future Hall of Fame tight end was tapped to host the Amazon game show 'Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity' and dabbled in the TV dramatics of Ryan Murphy's 'Grotesquerie.'
He also appeared in 'Happy Gilmore 2,' which premiered on Netflix in July.
6 Travis Kelce was a non-factor on the offense in Super Bowl 2025.
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6 He is motivated to put the Super Bowl loss behind him.
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When the Chiefs officially kicked off their 2024 campaign last fall, Kelce — who failed to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards the previous season (984), a feat he had accomplished every year since 2016 — became a non-factor on offense, triggering an onslaught of criticism about whether his focus was elsewhere.
Although Kelce showed he had plenty left in the tank in January, when the Chiefs punched their ticket to a third straight Super Bowl, the defending champs were rattled by the Eagles on the NFL's biggest stage in February with a lopsided 40-22 defeat.
The fallout has only fueled Kelce's fire as he prepares for his 13th season.
6 Travis Kelce during the Chiefs' preseason matchup against the Cardinals on Aug. 9, 2025.
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6 The future Hall of Famer has enjoyed the offseason with girlfriend Taylor Swift.
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'I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys,' he said.
Kelce has put in the work this offseason, and the team has taken notice.
'He's svelte right now,' coach Andy Reid said at the start of training camp last month. 'He looks like he's 20. He's doing a good job. He's in great shape.'
Kelce, who tallied 97 receptions for 823 yards and three touchdowns in the regular season last year, will visit Brazil in the Chiefs' season-opening clash against the Chargers on Sept. 5.
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