Numerous outsiders suggested throughout the 2023 season that the much-publicized relationship between All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce and entertainment superstar Taylor Swift caused distractions for the Kansas City Chiefs.
During a recent conversation with Leonard Solms of ESPN, though, offensive tackle Chukwuebuka Godrick touched upon Swift’s influence on the team that emerged as Super Bowl LVIII champions.
“I wouldn’t say it was a challenge,” Godrick said about how the Chiefs handled Swift’s presence hovering over the club during the campaign. “Taylor definitely was more helpful than anything else. She always brought great support, coming to the games – and she brought more fans to us, so it was more people supporting us, so I wouldn’t say it was a challenge or nothing like that. She definitely helped the team.”
While Kelce repeatedly insisted throughout the fall that Swift’s attendance games and unintentional creation of headlines caused no behind-the-scenes issues for anybody involved, some alarms were sounded when a Kansas City side that opened the season at 7-2 fell to 8-5 and, later, to 9-6. One report released in February detailed how certain individuals within the Chiefs privately voiced concerns about Kelce’s “high-demand schedule” related to his growing popularity and his dating one of the world’s most famous celebrities.
Godrick hinted that Kansas City’s 20-14 Christmas Day loss to the rival Las Vegas Raiders proved to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise.
“Everybody came together and saw that there was something that needed to happen to bounce back,” Godrick said about that defeat. “That Christmas game was a switch that flipped, like: what are we doing? This is not who we are. We’re not playing like we know we can play.”
The Chiefs closed the regular season with back-to-back wins before earning three straight playoff victories (two of which were on the road) to clinch a berth in Super Bowl LVIII. From there, quarterback Patrick Mahomes saved his most heroic performance of the season for the sport’s biggest stage, as he guided his offense on a championship-winning overtime drive against the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11.
Kelce claimed this past spring he’s pursuing more than one last Super Bowl ring even though he turns 35 years old this fall. Additionally, there’s no indication his relationship with Swift is ending anytime soon.
If nothing else, Godrick’s comments show that the Chiefs should probably embrace all that Swift brings them as their most recognizable fan.
