The good news for the Kansas City Chiefs is that they have begun their quest for the first three-peat in NFL history with a 3-0 record. On a more personal note, Patrick Mahomes’ dad luckily avoided jail time in his DUI case, being sentenced to five years’ probation, so we will continue seeing Pat Sr. lighting up those Black & Mild cigars come playoff time.
Despite all of the optimism, there’s a serious problem, and that’s the play of Travis Kelce, particularly since he began dating Taylor Swift. Last season was a whirlwind of media coverage and celebrations of the tight end’s relationship with one of the biggest pop stars in history. The Chiefs rode the elevated attention all the way to a Super Bowl win, and Kelce ended the season productively.
Travis Kelce’s Career Numbers Have Declined Since Dating Taylor Swift
The 34-year-old had no problem keeping up with the teen pop star, who is the same age, but on the field his stats declined. Kelce averaged a career-low 10.6 yards per catch, and he failed to corral 1,000 receiving yards (984) for the first time in seven seasons.
Kelce’s ability to rebound from the down statistical season was one of the concerns for Chiefs fans entering this season. So far, he’s done nothing to soften their concerns. With just eight catches for 69 yards (8.6 yards per catch) and 0 TDs through three games, college football insider Todd McShay didn’t bite his tongue in blaming Taylor Swift for Kelce’s demise. McShay said what plenty of football fans were probably thinking.
“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world,” McShay said on “The Ryen Russillo Podcast.”
McShay implies that Kelce’s lifestyle change, which included jet-setting around the globe with Swift, following her on her Eras Tour throughout America and Europe and dealing with an elevated amount of public scrutiny and media attention, has accelerated Kelce’s decline as an athlete.
“I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024. They are barely the same human being. Everyone’s like, ‘We got to get him the ball, why isn’t he part of the offense?’ The defense is double-covering. Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets is the same. The athlete is not,” McShay concluded.
McShay Not Only Blaming Taylor Swift For Travis Kelce Decline
Later in the show, McShay clarified his Swift comments, saying that he is not blaming her for Kelce’s decline, just her influence in his life as far as how active he has been when it comes to building his brand.
“I’m not blaming it on Taylor Swift, I’m not blaming anything,” McShay said. “All I’m saying is when you win two Super Bowls, you got that whole tour that happens after the Super Bowl. He’s the most commercialized guy. There’s no one else doing more commercials I don’t think in the league.”
Patrick Mahomes also does plenty of promotion and branding off the field, but McShay says it’s not at the same rate that Kelce has been going.
“He and Mahomes are up there. I think Kelce’s doing more commercials and things. He’s been at more events, doing more things socially. It’s impossible to carry that schedule and still put in the same amount of time for football,” McShay further added.
Travis Kelce’s Relationship With Taylor Swift Has Opened Doors
Everything has a price, and Kelce’s life changed dramatically when he got with Swift and their love story took on a life of its own, almost drowning out the historic second Super Bowl in a row for Mahomes and crew.
As down to earth a guy as Kelce is, stardom like that has to have an effect on you, and it comes at an odd time in his career when he is aging out of the game. Most tight ends don’t play past 35-38 years old, and Kelce has begun to full-speed transition into his business life after football as his body and skills begin to slightly diminish.
He’s not washed by any means, but to say he’s slowing down isn’t a stretch. Dating Swift seems to be the gift and the curse.
