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 life with Taylor Swift, his post-NFL ambitions, and the one goal that's 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 that winning the super bowl is "the only goal."
"It's every goal," he exclaimed.
The NFL tight end admits that he allowed alternate career options off the football field distract him last season, but he feels reinvigorated to do things differently this year.
“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," the Chiefs star said. "I don’t think he’d ever had somebody just pour out their emotions."
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 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 no surprise that Swift selected her boyfriend's podcast to drop the news.
Kelce says his relationship with Swift has grown "organically" and the two seem stronger than ever.
"When there is no camera on us, we're just two people in life." -Travis Kelce on Taylor Swift
“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."
That shared understanding has also brought them closer in surprising ways, especially when it comes to football, according to Kelce.
The Chiefs tight end says he's managed to turn Swift into a highly educated fan of the game.
“I sort of made her a football fan,” he 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
Kelce opened up about a wide range of topics during the sitdown but stayed quiet on what's next in his relationship with Swift. Fans continue to speculate that an engagement announcement could be on the horizon, but nothing is confirmed. It's also still uncertain whether the 2025 NFL season will be Kelce's final run.
Off the field, Kelce's expanding his footprint into other areas. He's currently in the process of opening a steakhouse up with his teammate, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahones, and has invested in ventures like horse racing and car washes. He's also dipped into acting, with roles in both film and television, which he says have all come with valuable life lessons signaling what he wants and doesn't want to do in his future.
“I know to stay away from a few things that I dabbled in early,” Kelce said.
“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," Kelce said. “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.”
In the meantime, Kelce seems to be enjoying co-hosting the "New Heights" podcast alongside his brother, former Philadelphia Eagles star Jason Kelce, when he's not on the field.
He has plenty of time to decide what's next and why rush.
MORE KANSAS CITY CHIEFS LIFESTYLE NEWS:
- Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce spoil Chiefs teammates with lavish preseason gifts
- Travis Kelce's expensive gameday look revealed as he skips Chiefs' preseason opener
- Chiefs' Chris Jones offers heartfelt reaction to pursuing franchise milestone
- Patrick Mahomes mother Randi praises NFL star and wife Brittany after they gift her 'incredible' new home
- Breaking down Travis Kelce's role in 'Happy Gilmore 2'? Explaining the NFL star's character in 2025 movie