Since they’ve been dating for over a year, it’s fair to wonder if singer-songwriter Taylor Swift keeps badgering Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce about retirement.
During an interview on “The Stephen A. Smith Show” on Wednesday, Kelce said Swift isn’t pressuring him to stop playing.
“She’s fully encouraging me to play this game,” Kelce said. “She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the games and cheering for me, so I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.”
Kelce acknowledged that he’s considering retirement amid one of the least productive years of his career.
In 16 regular-season games, the 35-year-old TE had the league’s 12th-most receptions (97) but finished with career lows in receiving yards (823) and touchdown catches (three).
Although he’s an aging star, Kelce indicated he could return next season.
“I’ll reevaluate [retirement] like I always do,” Kelce said. “And I’ll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and come back next year.”
Kelce has little to prove at this point in his career. In 12 seasons with the Chiefs, he has made 10 Pro Bowls and earned four first-team All-Pro nods.
Among TEs, Kelce ranks third all-time in receptions (1,004), third in receiving yards (12,151) and fifth in touchdown catches (77). Per Pro Football Reference’s Hall of Fame monitor, his score (130.56) is second for a TE, behind HOFer Tony Gonzalez (195.43).
The possibility of winning more Super Bowls could entice Kelce to come back. The Chiefs aim to become the first team in the Super Bowl era to win three straight championships this postseason.
If they don’t hoist the Lombardi Trophy this year, they should still have more cracks at it. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes — a two-time MVP — is still in his prime.
Only time will tell when Kelce retires. However, don’t bank on Swift influencing his decision. It sounds like she supports him either way.
