BELIEVE IT OR NOT, KELCE IS IN CAMP AFTER THE WILDEST JOYRIDE OF A LIFETIME

There were times during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour when we wondered about her boyfriend, but here he is, back with the Chiefs and trying to win a third straight title as she plans more stadium visits

     For whatever freakish reason, he knew Taylor Swift was through with Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy on the dating scene. In his hand was a beaded friendship bracelet inspired by his uniform number, 87. He knew she was arriving in Kansas City and hoped to meet her at the Eras Tour, except she left him “butthurt,” or so he said, in what could become a song of hers.

     “I was disappointed that she doesn’t talk before or after her shows,” said Travis Kelce, “because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings.”

     In what should be known as “Forty-Four Ditties,” they met a year ago and proceeded with a romance that has not ended. “I don't know how I did it, because she was not into sports. So I don’t know how the f— I did it,” he said on his podcast. Since then, he has won his third Super Bowl with the Chiefs, explained why he grabbed the arm of coach Andy Reid while screaming at him, then launched one of the biggest journeys in the history of billion-dollar razzmatazz entertainment. Kelce has worn so many different clothes and been in so many different countries and hugged so many different friends, it was stunning to see him appear for training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, where he couldn’t be farther away from Wembley Stadium in London.

     That is how he met Prince William. “We met royalty guys. That's right, there was royalty at the show,” he said. “Dude, he was the coolest motherf—er. He was so cool!” The journey could have ended there, but it was just beginning. They flew helicopters in Australia, where, well, “Not us — Taylor. This is all because Taylor is the biggest and best thing possible.” He surprised her by showing up for a tour date in Ireland, which meant he flew 5,200 miles from California after attending a wedding the day before for teammate Clyde Edwards-Helaire. They held hands during a private boat cruise on Lake Como. She put Kelce on her Instagram grid, a huge deal. They refer to themselves as “TNT,” which means Taylor and Travis.

     One night in Amsterdam or Germany or somewhere, he made an appearance in a cameo and wore a tuxedo as he carried Swift around stage. She blew him away in Singapore, where she said “Karma” is about “the guy on the Chiefs coming straight home to me.” They attended a post-Oscars party and chatted with the host, Madonna. They hit Nobu in Malibu. They went to Coachella. They vacationed in the Bahamas. He sang songs of hers for teammates at a party. His sister-in-law, Kylie Kelce, said, “Ultimately, if Travis is happy, we’re happy.” Taylor joined him in Las Vegas for Patrick Mahomes’ charity event. In Paris, she blew him a kiss as he danced to “So High School,” one of his favorite Swift songs, also telling Access Hollywood about “Golly” and “Blank Space” and “Alchemy” — the latter of which is about him.

     “So when I touch down / Call the amateurs and cut ’em from the team / Ditch the clowns, get the crown / Baby, I’m the one to be,” she sings.

     Back at his podcast, with brother Jason, he straightened his brain and said, “The first game she came to against the Bears. I was like, ‘Okay, so, I could probably set you up with everything … ’ And she just walked right through the front door. There’s no going down, talking to security, making sure that she gets to her — she was just like, ‘I just want to be around the family and friends, and experience this with everybody.’ She got beaucoup points for that. I was like, ‘Damn, she’s in the madness. She wants to be a part of it. She wants to support me and do things like that.’ She really won me over with that one. She’s very self-aware. She understands situations, and I think that’s why I started to really fall for her, was how genuine she is around friends, family. It can get crazy for somebody with that much attention. She just keeps it so chill and so cool.”

     And this: “You want to keep things private, but at the same time, I’m not here to hide anything, you know? That’s my girl. That’s my lady. So, it’s like, I’m proud of that. I’m not sitting here trying to juggle, ‘How can I keep this under wraps?’ You just don’t want to let everybody into your personal life and be able to to comment, knowing that everything she does is getting a headline.”

     So, what brings a global love monster to more football madness as he nears age 35? Is he ready to perform again as he did in the playoffs — 32 catches, 355 yards, three touchdowns — after injuries dragged him through a sub-par regular season? The Chiefs love Swift, as owner Clark Hunt and Reid and Mahomes have said often. But how much longer does Kelce have left as a tight end in wild celebrity?

     He wants to win a third straight championship. And why not? Swift has said she’ll continue following him to games, at home and on the road. The Swifties already have shown up in St. Joseph and plan “Taygate” parties for the Sept. 5 opener at Arrowhead Stadium. Any thought that Taylor’s presence could make problems was a fool’s joke. Season 2 is upon us. The TV networks are more than ready.

     “This is my sanctuary, baby. St. Joe, Year 12,” Kelce said. “That means I’ve spent just about an entire year in my life up here in the dorms, man. Everybody may see that as pretty grueling, but I enjoy it, man. There’s something about this place that gets you ready every single year. I’m not going to lie. I got pretty excited as the time started counting down to get out here and get this thing rolling.

     “This is where it all starts. You can say it starts in the offseason, and yeah, you want to get that foundation set in the offseason of the leadership and the mentality and things like that. But at the end of the day, this is where you really find out what the team is made of, how you sharpen the iron, how your guys practice your practice habits, the attention to detail, and nobody does it better than coach Reid."

     He brings his own personal trainers, but Reid puts the players through hell. Kelce might warrant even more hell, given his bonkers postseason and how the two clashed in the Super Bowl. Each laughed about it after the victory. They knew another season was coming. Mahomes is the megastar. Kelce is vital to the glory.

     “Last year was pretty taxing on my body,” he said. “I’ve had more snaps than a lot of guys if not everybody in the NFL over the past five, six years, and I'm very prideful of that, but I know it has taken a toll on my body. So it's just making sure my body’s getting that rest and that ability to train harder and be able to withstand an entire 17-to-20-game season.”

     In his 12th NFL campaign, do not tell Kelce if he’s in shape or isn’t, and don’t tell him if he’s playing well or isn’t. “I’m my biggest critic,” he said. “Nobody can tell me how bad I did on a play. I know it right as the play is over. I know what I need to do better.”

     Nor will anyone scold him about Taylor Swift. Last we saw them together in his sport, on the field at Allegiant Stadium, they embraced for days. “I can’t believe it. I can’t believe you,” she said. “Oh my God.”

     His body might ache after an unhinged five months. But he’s no longer butthurt.

     ###

     Jay Mariotti, called “without question the most impacting Chicago sportswriter of the past quarter-century,’’ writes general sports columns for Substack while appearing on some of the 1,678,498 podcasts and shows in production today. He is an accomplished columnist, TV panelist and talk/podcast host. Living in Los Angeles, he gravitated by osmosis to film projects.