Travis Kelce once said that he used to dream of being like Josh Allen. But the feeling isn’t mutual, the Daily Mail can reveal.
Fierce rivals with Kelce on the field but friends outside of the NFL, Allen is widely considered one of the best quarterbacks yet to win a Super Bowl. In 2025, many are tipping him to change that with the Buffalo Bills at the expense of Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
And it comes at a time when, away from the game, Allen’s star is rising too. Having proposed to Hollywood actress Hailee Steinfeld, 28, last November, the shy face of the Bills is forced to answer questions about his love life in press conferences as well as his game.
It’s a situation Kelce, 35, knows all too well through his relationship with superstar singer Taylor Swift. He has leveraged that fame smartly, taking the first steps into an acting and television career that surely awaits whenever he quits the NFL.
But it came at a cost for Kelce last year, with sources close to the star previously telling the Daily Mail that his offseason workload contributed to his alarming downturn in the 2024 season, culminating in February’s Super Bowl humiliation.
As interest in his relationship with Steinfeld increases, Allen, 28, wants to learn from Kelce’s mistakes, and has no intention of following in the footsteps of his on-field rival.
Josh Allen made his red carpet debut with Hailee Steinfeld this year, but they keep a low profile
Travis Kelce, on the other hand, is regularly out and about with his girlfriend Taylor Swift
An insider told Daily Mail: ‘Besides being at any of her premieres or anything else to support her, Josh and Hailee aren’t going to be seen a lot going out to dinner and parading themselves around like Taylor and Travis do.
‘Josh will take it as it comes, as winning the Super Bowl is the goal. Everything else can come second. If the Bills were to finally win the Super Bowl, it would take him into a stratosphere even he might not be ready for.
‘He doesn’t assume that it will get to the levels of Taylor or Travis though, because Taylor is so popular… Plus, Travis is toward the end of his career, whereas Josh has a long way to go.’
The source continued, stressing: ‘He is going to remain mostly on the sidelines for things that would make his status and fame more with Hailee.’
Allen was crowned the MVP in 2024 but, once again, his team fell short when they came up against the Chiefs. Four times in the last five years, Allen’s season has ended at the hands of Kelce and Kansas City.
Allen is on a $55million-a-year contract with the Bills, worth an overall $330million. Unlike Kelce, his form is an upward trend – but there are no guarantees that translates into the Super Bowl titles he craves.
Allen made a romantic proposal to Steinfeld, but they keep their love life out of the public eye
Kelce and Swift’s fame is on another level and they often dine out together in various cities
Kelce is already a TV star and has grand plans for his next career when he hangs up his cleats
Our source continued: ‘Josh is in a very interesting situation. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, getting paid a massive amount of money and playing for a great team. He would love to win multiple Super Bowls and be forever placed in the conversation as one of the best.
‘With that, it provides a certain celebrity, but then add a relationship with a Hollywood star, it changes your status and fame pretty quick. He would love to take a lower- profile approach.’
Before Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Bills to reach February’s Super Bowl, the Kansas City hero said of Allen: ‘Josh is who I used to dream of being like in the NFL.
‘Big, athletic quarterback, big arm, being able to be a dual-threat guy. I just never had the arm talent that Josh has, so they kicked me over to tight end. I have so much respect for that guy.’
