Don’t Let Travis Kelce’s Relationship Overshadow His NFL Success

For the past several years, Travis Kelce has been a key player on the NFL landscape. Tight ends used to be little more than an extra lineman, but No. 87 does much more than blocking. He’s a legitimate offensive threat—playing alongside Patrick Mahomes in Andy Reid’s offense helps, but Kelce has the talent and athleticism of a wide receiver—and, perhaps even more importantly, shows some personality. This is the man, after all, who had his own dating show and co-hosts a podcast with his brother, among other endeavors.

During the 2023 campaign, though, the storyline has become a bit different. Now, it seems like every mention of the star tight end also involves Taylor Swift. Even if you aren’t a football fan, you can’t avoid the Chiefs star.

As you might expect, that connection has boosted Kelce’s status and pushed him further into the spotlight than ever before. And while that isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, it shouldn’t overshadow just how gifted the Cincinnati product is.

Kelce Is Riding the Taylor Swift Wave

Generally, a pro athlete’s popularity is tied to their performances. Whether you enter the league as an undrafted free agent or a highly touted draft pick, the rubber eventually has to meet the road. If you play well, you’ll find your way to fame and fortune. Without success, even the biggest prospect will fall off the radar.

That makes Kelce’s recent surge so unusual. The tight end is a known commodity; he’s been in the NFL since 2013 and first reached the Pro Bowl in 2015. No. 87 has two Super Bowl rings to his name and is a well-known commodity among fantasy football players.

Being linked to Taylor Swift, however, can push things even further.

After the superstar first appeared at a Chiefs game, for example, Kelce’s jersey sales went through the roof. Ahead of the Chiefs’ date with the Jets, there was more than a 100 percent increase in bets placed on the tight end.

That’s not all, though.

On October 2, Forbes reported that searches for Chiefs tickets on StubHub have increased, and Kelce’s personal Instagram following has climbed by hundreds of thousands.

That doesn’t mean the reception has been universally positive, though. Some fans have felt like the NFL is forcing the Kelce-Swift narrative down their throats, focusing on a pop-cultural storyline rather than football.

Kelce, However, Is Still a Special Talent

When any player takes up a disproportionate amount of the spotlight (think of someone like Tom Brady or LeBron James), they’re automatically going to receive a certain amount of hate. Kelce, thanks to his relationship with Swift, seems like he could be pushing into that territory.

No amount of criticism, however, should overshadow the tight end’s sheer talent.

After missing essentially his entire rookie season in 2013, Kelce has been a fixture for the Chiefs. As of the morning of October 12, 2023, he’s suited up for 148 regular-season games, catching 841 passes for 10,566 yards and 72 touchdowns. His production has also been strong in the postseason, where No. 87 has pulled in an incredible 133 catches for 1,548 yards and 16 scores in 18 appearances.

For context, let’s look at DeAndre Hopkins, an elite receiver who also entered the NFL in 2013. He’s played 150 regular season games, tallying 879 catches for 11,654 yards and 71 touchdowns. That means that, with Kelce in your lineup, you’re essentially getting all-league offensive numbers without occupying a receiver spot.

But stats, no matter how impressive they may be, don’t tell the whole story.

During his partnership with Patrick Mahomes, Kelce has been the quarterback’s security blanket. That doesn’t mean he’s simply sitting in the flat as a check-down option, though. The tight end has the license to read the defense and react accordingly, whether that means sitting in the dead spot of a zone or streaking through a vertical seam.

The Chiefs offense, at least as it’s existed over the past several seasons, couldn’t function without No. 87.

And, on a macro level, Kelce has redefined his position. While greats like Tony Gonzalez, Antonio Gates, Jason Witten and Rob Gronkowski showed that tight ends could be legitimate offensive weapons, the Chiefs’ star has taken things to the next level. He consistently posts wide-receiver numbers and is capable of functioning from the end of the line, in motion or even out of the backfield.

We’re not quite talking about a positionless game like modern pro basketball, but Kelce has helped to prove that a tight end can be the focal point of a passing offense.

Put that all together, and it’s understandable why the likes of Shannon Sharpe and Greg Olsen consider No. 87 an all-time great.

Sports can be an emotional affair, especially when you feel like you’re being force-fed someone who doesn’t deserve the attention. And while the focus on his relationships can seem a bit overbearing, Kelce’s body of work more than warrants the spotlight.