Travis Kelce gets candid about Taylor Swift, retirement, and his 2025 NFL focus

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Travis Kelce gets candid about Taylor Swift, retirement, and his 2025 NFL focus originally appeared on The Sporting News
Travis Kelce is opening up about all the things that matters most to him.
In GQ's September cover story, the Kansas City Chiefs star, 35, dishes on everything from life with Taylor Swift, and his post-NFL ambitions, to the one goal fueling his 2025 season - winning a Super Bowl.
Travis Kelce opens up in GQ's September cover story
Giving the outlet a rare look inside his personal life, Kelce told GQ, "It's the only goal. It's every goal."
Though the NFL tight end admits that some of the side jobs he undertook last season did deter some of his focus, he is more motivated than ever.
'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,' he said. '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.' He added, 'I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys.'
Kelce has come a long way since he's entered the league. After being passed on by his hometown team, the Cleveland Browns, and by several others, he recalls crying in then head coach Rob Chudzinski's office when he learned he wouldn't get to put on the uniform he dreamed about one day wearing.
"I literally was in tears. I said, 'I'm sorry I'm getting emotional. I grew up down the street. I would f******" do anything to play for the Cleveland Browns.' He looked at me like I was insane. I don't think he'd ever had somebody just pour out their emotions," the Chiefs star said.
It's all water under the bridge now though, as Kelce has since left his mark on the NFL, earning five Super Bowl appearances and three of the coveted-rings. He's surpassed Jerry Rice as the all-time lead in postseason and Super Bowl receptions has made a strong case for being named one of the best tight ends to ever play the game.
Travis Kelce on life off the field with Taylor Swift and turning her into a football fan
Then there's the fact that Kelce has also landed one of the most famous singers in the business, Taylor Swift, whom he's been dating since 2023.
The couple's relationship is so serious that, Swift, chose his "New Heights" podcast to announce her upcoming 12th album, "The Life of a Showgirl."
"New Heights" dropped a clip of the upcoming episode, which airs on Wednesday, August 13, on Instagram on Tuesday, revealing Swift as their upcoming guest.
It's unsurprising that Swift selected her boyfriend's podcast to drop the news.
The couple to be solid, and Kelce says the relationship has grown very "organically."
'When I say it was so organic, we fell in love just based off the people we were sitting in a room together with. We are two fun-loving people who have the morals to appreciate everyone for who they are. We share all those values. It kind of just took the f*** off," he said.
'I hadn't experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions," he continued. 'When there is not a camera on us, we're just two people that are in love. It can be perceived as something else because of how much it is talked about and how much we are tracked whenever we do go out, but I would say that it's as normal of."
Kelce has since turned Swift into a highly educated football fan.
'I sort of made her a football fan,' the Chiefs star said. 'She is the most engulfed fan now. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short—all these things because she just naturally loves to hear about my job.'
MORE: Travis Kelce's expensive gameday look revealed as he skips Chiefs' preseason opener
Travis Kelce's future plans: Engagement rumors and NFL retirement
Despite opening up about a lot during the cover story, Kelce didn't dish on any future plans for his relationship with Swift. Many fans assume that an engagement announcement will come in the near future, but that hasn't been confirmed. It's also unclear whether or not this will be Kelce's final season in the NFL.
'I know to stay away from a few things that I dabbled in early,' he said.
While Chiefs fans will also have to wait on that news, the tight end did share some of his plans for his post-NFL life. He's in the process of opening a steakhouse up with his teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahones, and has invested in horse racing and car washes.
There's also been a few stints in acting, both in movies and on televi
He's enjoyed acting, and his time working on his "New Heights" podcast alongside his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce.
'I don't necessarily know if I'll take it and run with it when I'm done playing,' he said, 'but I know that I want to stay around the football world as a profession and then dabble in other areas as well.'
He continued, 'I think there is a happy medium... I do want to have free time. I do want to have the ability to be around my family. I don't want to get too busy to where I'm traveling all over the world and I'm not present at home.'
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