Clik here to view.
Give this one to the Swifties.
Travis Kelce, the superstar tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, announced today that he would be returning for his 13th season, putting an end to weeks of speculation since the Chiefs embarrassing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl.
The veteran superstar was drafted in the third round by the Chiefs back in 2013, and has spent his entire career in Kansas City. Over his career, he’s won three Super Bowls with the team, and has racked up quite a few records along the way. He’s the career leader in postseason receptions, receiving yards in a season by a tight end, and consecutive 1,000-yard receiving season by a tight end, among many others.
But in 2024, fans noticed a drop in Kelce’s production, with a career-low of only 823 yards and three touchdowns during the regular season.
His lack of production was especially obvious during Super Bowl LIX against the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Chiefs offense overall struggled in the game (and so did their defense), Kelce only managed to bring in 4 receptions on 6 targets for 39 yards in the embarrassing 40-22 loss for the Chiefs.
With Kelce having so much else going on in his life, like his lucrative New Heights podcast with his brother Jason, and a pretty much guaranteed career in broadcasting after he hangs it up, there’s been plenty of speculation that Travis would decide to hang it up this offseason and spend more time with his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift.
Kelce himself acknowledged after the Super Bowl that it was a decision he hadn’t made yet, saying on his podcast that he wanted to take some time before deciding on his future:
“I know everybody wants to know whether or not I’m playing next year and right now I’m just kicking everything down the road. I’m kicking every can I can down the road. I am not making any crazy decisions, but right now the biggest thing is just being there for my teammates and being there for my coaches understanding that there’s a lot that goes into this thing.”
But recently, Chiefs GM Brett Veach hinted that he expected Kelce to return for 2025, saying that the tight end is “fired up” for next season:
“He has one more year under contract. Still think he has that fire and desire to play. As far as I’m concerned there is no deadline, I think we left it as he’d be back and we’re excited to get him back and get him going.”
And of course Swifties have to do a deep dive into pretty much everything, treating everything as some kind of sign or elaborate plan, and Kelce’s retirement was no different. In fact, apparently fans of Kelce’s girlfriend are convinced that the tight end will return for one reason in particular: It would be his 13th season.
What does that matter? Well apparently the number 13 is Swift’s “lucky number” because she was born on December 13th. Yeah, this is how crazy the whole thing was and yes, I’m rolling my eyes. But that’s what Swifties believed:
Travis’ potential last season being his 13th season is a wild coincidence.
— 𝑬𝒎 𝑱𝒐 (@emjospoon) February 25, 2025
Travis Kelce is coming back for his 13th season. IYKYK. pic.twitter.com/kgQezTVz74
— Farzin Vousoughian (@Farzin21) February 25, 2025
I KNEW IT Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.travis’ (possibly) last season being his 13th season just FEELS RIGHT https://t.co/BcSBQYJBta
— ariana ♫ (@tscrazier) February 26, 2025
Well today Kelce confirmed that the Swifties were right and that he would in fact be returning for his 13th season – although I’m not sure how much Taylor’s lucky number played into his decision.
The announcement was made on the Pat McAfee Show today on ESPN, with the host reading a text that he received from Kelce:
“I’m coming back for sure. Gonna try and get to the best shape I’ve been this offseason and get back to the mountaintop. Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!”
(Yes, McAfee confirmed that the text contained all those exclamation points).
Travis Kelce intends to play in the 2025 season, he confirmed with @PatMcAfeeShow.
“Got a real bad taste in my mouth with how I played in that last game and how I got the guys ready for battle. I can’t go out like that!!!!” pic.twitter.com/Enpb9jPfoh
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) February 27, 2025
So there you have it. I’m not sure whether it was Swift’s lucky number or the fact that he played like dogshit in the Super Bowl that’s the real reason for Kelce deciding to return for another season, but either way, he’s coming back.
The post “Got A Real Bad Taste In My Mouth” – Just As Swifties Predicted, Travis Kelce Is Returning To The Chiefs For His 13th Season first appeared on Whiskey Riff.