A rejuvenated Travis Kelce insists his full focus is back on football this offseason after admitting he was too distracted by commitments away from the sport last year.
The Kansas City Chiefs star cashed in on his newfound fame as Taylor Swift’s boyfriend by throwing himself into endless TV, movie and commercial opportunities after winning another Super Bowl in 2024.
This offseason has been much more low-key for both Kelce and Swift, with the A-list couple only making a handful of significant public appearances while largely trying to keep out of the spotlight.
Though he did enjoy a cameo role in the upcoming Happy Gilmore sequel, Travis has also been far less of a presence on TV screens in recent months, having made his acting and presenting debuts last year.
And the 35-year-old admits he had to reassess what his priorities were this time around after a disappointing season ended with a crushing Super Bowl defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles back in February.
‘I think the biggest thing is you kind of refocus on where your attention is in the offseason,’ he said on the Bussin’ With The Boys podcast amid his preparations for the 2025 campaign.
Travis Kelce insists his full focus is back on football after a distracting offseason in 2024
The Kansas City Chiefs star cashed in on his newfound fame as the boyfriend of Taylor Swift
Kelce made his acting and presenting debuts, including as host of Amazon Prime gameshow ‘Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?’
‘I think last year, and really the past three years, I’ve had a lot of attention on taking a step away from football to figure out what I’m doing afterwards and make sure I set that up and I’m setting myself up for the future.
‘I’ve kind of always had that mentality in the offseason, but I took on bigger projects. This year I kind of put all that to the side and I’m like “Man, I’m going into the last year of my contract, 13th year… I’m going to make this dream that I’ve always had the best it’s ever been.”
‘I think I failed last year in a lot of different ways for my guys on the field, in terms of being a leader and being prepared and ready to rock. [But] I’m motivated to be accountable for the guys man.’
Kelce, who hinted at retirement after that sobering loss to the Eagles in February before deciding to return for another year, added: ‘I just had a sour taste in my mouth immediately like, ‘Man this can’t be the last game.” I still feel like I can do it, and I kind of wanted to give myself that full focus.
‘When I looked at the year in review and how I got ready for the year, it’s not to say that I was doing it wrong, it’s just that when you get older you start to figure things out differently.
‘Your body doesn’t react to how you used to do things, you have to focus a little bit more on the preparation and being there and being ready, and then throughout the week you’ve got to have more of a plan to get back to 100 percent.’
Before reaching the postseason Kelce put up some of the worst numbers of his career in 2024, after recording his lowest ever receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (three).
The legendary tight end says he had to reassess his priorities heading into the 2025 season
The legendary tight end was tipped to retire by many after also enduring a difficult 2023 season, with a number of pundits and fans suggesting his best days are behind him.
And after entering the final year of his contract, Kelce admits he isn’t sure what the future holds beyond this season.
When asked if 2025 could be his farewell campaign, he said: ‘It’s the last one on the contract. I’m focused on this one man, I don’t know what next year’s gonna feel like, I don’t know what I’m gonna feel like in March and in April of next year when I make that decision and try to figure out what’s next for me.
‘But I know that I’ve got one on the contract and I’ve got a hell of a f***ing team and a lot of f***ing talent, and I’m pumped for it.’
