Travis Kelce hasn't been playing too well recently — but could this slump suggest he's about to give up the game for good?
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00:00Travis Kelce hasn't been playing too well recently, but could this slump suggest he's
00:05about to give up the game for good?
00:07In another world, Travis Kelce might have ended his football career in style after winning
00:11his third Super Bowl ring.
00:13Instead, Kansas City Chiefs fans now fear that the tight end's NFL legacy will end with
00:17a whimper, as he struggles to find his footing this season.
00:20In three games of the 2024 season, Travis scored no touchdowns and made only eight catches
00:26for 69 yards.
00:27Every armchair quarterback and disgruntled fantasy football fan has an opinion on his
00:31dismal start to the season, with some people suggesting that Travis' high-pressure relationship
00:36with Taylor Swift might be taking his mind off the game.
00:39In a press conference, coach Andy Reid insisted that this is not the case.
00:43"...Works his tail off and he hasn't lost a step in all those things, he's not distracted."
00:50But Travis does have a lot to distract him right now.
00:53When it comes to his relationship, for example, he had a former president set his supporters
00:57on his girlfriend.
00:58When Donald Trump wrote,
00:59"...I hate Taylor Swift," on Truth Social, he was giving his followers a new target.
01:04Travis must be at least a little concerned about the fact that his long-term girlfriend
01:08has made enemies of a man who is so influential, and who might even return to the Oval Office
01:13someday.
01:14While Swift might be the easiest scapegoat for football fans when they play the blame
01:17game for Travis' slump, the real problem might be that he's in something of a transitional
01:21stage in his life.
01:22The show Grotesquery premiered on FX amid the chatter about Travis Kelcey's poor performance
01:27on the field.
01:28The Ryan Murphy horror series is Kelcey's first significant acting role, and while he
01:32didn't make an appearance in the first two episodes, he had to be just a tad nervous
01:36about how critics and audiences would react to seeing him in a totally different way.
01:41Kelcey has wanted to be on television for a long time.
01:44In fact, in 2023, his manager told Vanity Fair that the NFL star desperately wanted
01:49to host Saturday Night Live, a dream that came to fruition soon after.
01:53"'Hosting SNL is that much better.'"
01:58Kelcey was once also the eligible bachelor on his dating series called Catching Kelcey,
02:02and in 2024, he signed on to host a spinoff of Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader titled
02:07Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?
02:10In describing his aspirations off the field, Kelcey has said that he wants to get his face
02:14out from under the helmet.
02:16It's something he's clearly tackled with a lot of determination, but it might be taking
02:19some of his focus away from his game.
02:22It can be tough to juggle a lot of different projects, after all, especially if you're
02:25new to this side of stardom.
02:27Of course, every NFL player knows that they can't play the game forever, and it's extremely
02:32rare for a tight end to excel like Kelcey right into their mid-30s.
02:36He'll be aware that this game could decline and not rebound at any time, so he's likely
02:40prioritizing his future over the now as he prepares to hang up his cleats.
02:44Of course, Kelcey won't exactly struggle when he does choose to retire.
02:48The podcast he co-hosts with Jason Kelcey, New Heights, became such a massive hit that
02:53Amazon offered the brothers a $100 million distribution deal with its Wondery Podcast
02:58streaming service.
02:59If Travis continues his podcasting career while also hosting on television and scoring
03:03additional acting work, this will help pad his pockets.
03:06In the end, giving up football might seem like a sensible choice, as he could be spending
03:10the time he dedicates to the sport pursuing one of the less risky employment opportunities
03:14available to him.
03:16So, with so many positives in his life outside of football, there's no reason at all for
03:20Kelcey to be looking so glum on that bench, other than the disappointment he feels for
03:25failing to live up to the expectations of fans, that is.
03:28As he said at a press conference,
03:30I'm my own worst critic.
03:32Everything outside of this building is just noise.