Travis Kelce‘s 2024 season with the Kansas City Chiefs wasn’t the fairy tale fans hoped for, and he’s pointing fingers at the Taylor Swift spotlight for his struggles. The three-time Super Bowl champ, known for his tight-end wizardry, hit a career low -outside his one-snap rookie year- with just 823 receiving yards across 17 games.
That rough patch peaked in a dismal Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on February 9, where he managed only four catches for 39 yards in a 40-22 blowout. “I let my guys down,” he admitted on his New Heights podcast March 5, hinting the grind had him mulling retirement at 35.
Kelce’s romance with Swift, kicking off in 2023, turned him into a global name -think Eras Tour cameos and “Karma” lyric swaps- but it came with a catch. “So much attention on their relationship is not the best thing,” a source spilled to US Weekly, revealing how the couple dialed back the PDA after that Super Bowl flop.
Kelce’s stat dip -down from his 1,416-yard peak in 2020– had social media fans buzzing: “Swift’s fame threw him off!” one posted. That New Orleans date night with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes just 48 hours before the big game didn’t help-some called it a distraction as the Chiefs’ three-peat dreams crashed.
Taylor’s fame hit Travis’ NFL stats hard
The tight end’s no stranger to pressure -12 seasons, 10 Pro Bowls, and a Chiefs-record 77 TDs- but 2024 felt different. “I don’t think it was my best outing,” he said on New Heights, reflecting on how he felt “anonymous” against the Eagles. Swift, wrapping her Eras Tour last December, stood by him at games-boosting viewership by millions-but the hype might’ve weighed heavy.
Post-loss, the pair vanished from the spotlight, chilling out with movies and family time. “Just doing nothing at all has been a dream of theirs,” the US Weekly source added, painting a picture of Kelce wrestling with fame’s toll.
Kelce’s Chiefs tenure isn’t over: he’s back for 2025, vowing on The Pat McAfee Show February 27 to “get back to the mountaintop” after that “bad taste.” X fans are split, some blame Swift’s orbit for his 3-TD slump, others say age and injuries hit harder. “I still love playing,” he insisted, but that retirement whisper lingered as Swift’s star power cast a long shadow over his gridiron groove.
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