When Travis Kelce returned for another season with the Chiefs, he knew the skepticism it brought. At 36, he would be one of the oldest tight ends in the league. And if there weren’t fans doubting him, after incidents in training camp, there were questions around Kelce.
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Yet, by the time the season rolled around, there was Kelce, defying Father Time and setting NFL records. That same effort is getting recognition, and head coach Andy Reid believes there’s one person to credit for it.
In an interview with 41 KSHB, Reid first praised the tight end, then his partner, Taylor Swift, for getting Travis in shape.
“Listen, Trav worked his tail off. That’s the bottom line. I think he probably said it after the game somewhere there that the amount of work he put in. He likes his surrounding cast that surround him too, which sure helps as just an extra challenge there to make sure that you’re up there and competing and doing your part with that other group. He takes a lot of pride in that.
“Everybody questioned with the wedding and all that, would he be out of shape and honeymooning the whole time and all that. But he works his rear end off. And I think Taylor, you’re putting on four-hour shows. You’ve got to work hard, too. I’m sure she kicks him in the butt a little bit there, too.”
The doubts around Kelce emerged long before the Chiefs arrived at St. Joseph. After marrying Taylor Swift over the summer, skeptics questioned whether the wedding, honeymoon, and everything surrounding it would leave the Chiefs tight end less prepared for another NFL season.
And things looked shaky at the start. When Kelce arrived at training camp, an incident of him taking a fall and going to the ground, then struggling to get up, made the rounds. The tight end was body-shamed online.
But Kelce wasn’t fazed at all. Instead, he took it on the chin, and as he’d done before, laughed the opinions off.
“That s— was so f—ing funny, reading some of these comments on that clip going viral and then, obviously, the fat-shaming and saying that I got a dad body. It’s all social media just having fun. And I even laugh at this s—. I mean, it’s f—ing pure comedy. There have been other years where I’ve came in way fatter than I am this year, for sure. We’re doing good so far.”
And sure enough, two games in, the concerns about Kelce returning rusty or out of shape have not materialized. Instead, the 36-year-old has looked explosive, involved and far more like the version of Kelce Kansas City has relied on for years.
Kelce opened the season with three catches for 71 yards against Denver, including a 59-yard reception, before taking over against Indianapolis with nine catches for 101 yards and a touchdown. Through two games, he has 12 receptions for 172 yards while averaging 14.3 yards per catch.
The idea that Kelce suddenly looks younger is not completely new either. Reid joked during training camp in July 2025 that the veteran looked like “he’s 20,” while Kelce himself has credited the Chiefs’ demanding camp for getting him into shape.
“Coach Reid set the bar high for everybody in that building to get through training camp,” Kelce said while addressing the viral “dad bod” pictures. “Training camp was a lot of dog days, and it whipped us all into shape, and I’m thankful for it.”
And as coach Reid said, Taylor Swift has been a key supporter of the tight end during and before the season. We’ve already seen her visibility increase during the games. When Kelce scored against Indianapolis, she pointed toward her wedding ring and appeared to mouth, “That’s my husband,” as she celebrated from the suite.
But Reid’s comments point to something bigger than sideline support. His suggestion that Swift “kicks him in the butt” fits with something Kelce himself has already admitted: watching her work at the highest level pushes him to do the same.
“We share the same love for what we do, and fortunately we’ve had this desire since we were kids in our respective professions,” the Chiefs’ tight end said on his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show back in March 2026. “It’s amazing to see her keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new melodies and, on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does.
“Of course, that’s motivating. That’s motivating for anybody to see, let alone my fiancée, knowing that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out exactly what the future holds for me. Something like that definitely motivates me to say, ‘You know what, I’m not done, either.’ I’ve still got some ideas in the back of my mind and still got some juice left to play this game.”
With that motivation, Kelce even managed to break some records. He surpassed Marshall Faulk for the most yards after the catch in NFL history. As the game against the Colts wrapped up, Kelce amassed 6,288 yards after the catch. That’s 58 yards more than Faulk’s record.
For now, Kelce is looking forward to extending his dominance in the Week 3 game against the Miami Dolphins on September 27.
While offseason skeptics wondered if wedding bells and a honeymoon would soften his edge, Travis Kelce is proving the exact opposite on the turf. With record-breaking performances already in the books for 2026, Kelce’s deep-rooted motivation ensures that the Chiefs’ offense remains a force to be reckoned with.