Few NFL players have undergone a bigger transformation than Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, but Kelce didn’t change teams, jerseys or locations.
But Kelce did marry pop superstar back during July 4th weekend, and he talked about the experience with reporters like Jesse Newell of The Athletic in camp this week as the Chiefs prepare for their first preseason game of the year against the Los Angeles Rams today at Arrowhead.
“Wedding was the best night of my life. I appreciate everybody who came out and celebrated and had fun with us. That’s about all I really got from that night,” Kelce said. “It was a crazy night. It was full of a lot of celebration. But (now) it’s football, baby.”
Kelce did a lot of different things both with and without Swift during the offseason, including becoming a part owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA. He got to sit courtside at Madison Square Garden during a playoff game, which he described as a childhood dream.
“I didn’t get my opportunity to go then,” Kelce said. “So it’s kind of cool to be able to live out my childhood dream of being in that venue and the mecca of all sports venues, being able to get married in there.”
Now Kelce is back in camp, and he’s grinding, to the point where he’s having trouble staying on the sidelines when he hears a play called that he likes.
“You need to have these days,” Kelce said about being back in training camp. “You need to have this time of grinding with the guys, being around them all day, every day. You start to create that chemistry of how we’re going to do things. This year, it’s ramped up even more, especially on the offensive side of the ball. It feels good to have the leaders out there all feeling the same thing.”
Kelce has also taken some heat about showing up with what’s been called a beer belly, and coach Andy Reid said he’d been surprised to read false reports that Kelce had arrived with a “dad bod.”
The tigh end declared himself ready to “rock and roll,” and he was happy with the way his body responded to his latest training camp.
“I think nine days in pads, third day in pads this week, body feels good. I was able to finish in a strong way,” Kelce said. “Just trying to make sure I set that example for the guys around me to know this is the standard.”
Kelce had some shaky moments last season, and he’s determined to put them behind him. He’s talked about pivotal interceptions against the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans that were basically his fault, and he doesn’t want to go out with marks like that on his final game log.
“I still got a lot of love for this game,” he said. “I still think I can go out and play at a high level, and I want to go out there and prove to myself that I can play at a better level than I did last year. And I think that’s probably the biggest thing for me is making sure that I’m accountable for the guys in this room every single play that I’m out there.”