Were Chiefs worried about Travis Kelce amid Taylor Swift relationship?

It seems not everybody within the Kansas City Chiefs was thrilled All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce kept quite the busy schedule ahead of and during the 2023 season due to his popular "New Heights" podcast, numerous public appearances and his much-publicized relationship with entertainment superstar Taylor Swift. 

"Those who know Kelce will say he has the perfect demeanor to manage all of this, a largely stress-free man who isn't living if he's not immersed in the action," NFL insider Jeremy Fowler of ESPN wrote after Kelce helped the Chiefs earn a 25-22 overtime win over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LVIII on Sunday night. "Privately, though, several Chiefs sources acknowledged Kelce's challenges: a high-demand schedule, including those endorsements, podcast appearances and a midseason trip to Argentina to see Swift in concert, all undertaken while trying to get all the way back from a Week 1 ankle injury."

Publicly, Kelce and others associated with the Chiefs repeatedly insisted his dating Swift wasn't a distraction for the reigning Super Bowl champions that started the season at 6-1 but then fell to 9-6 via a 20-14 home loss to the division-rival Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas Day. 

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid later called that defeat "a good wake-up call for us," and Fowler explained how Kelce and quarterback Patrick Mahomes "spent extra time with Reid" and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy after the Raiders game "on cleaning up penalties and execution." 

Shortly after Kansas City's loss to Vegas, trainer Andrew Spruill suggested that Kelce still wasn't fully right from the setback that prevented the future Hall of Famer from playing in his club's regular-season opener. Alex Skacel, Kelce's physical therapist, told Fowler the 34-year-old has endured "countless" injuries over the past decade. 

Kelce was largely his dominant self throughout Kansas City's Super Bowl run. According to ESPN stats, he recorded postseason highs of 32 catches, 355 receiving yards and three touchdown grabs (tied with Jake Ferguson of the Dallas Cowboys) across four playoff games. Kelce now holds the all-time record with 165 career postseason receptions. 

He notched nine catches for 93 yards against the 49ers. 

Kelce told J.R. Moehringer of The Wall Street Journal this past fall he thinks about retirement "nonstop" and "more than anyone could ever imagine." The three-time Super Bowl champion sang a different tune on Sunday night when he announced to ESPN he plans to return for another season because he wants "that three-peat" with the Chiefs.

"A lot of the things we do address are the things that you would see break down on an athlete as they age," Skacel said about Kelce's upcoming offseason. "His schedule has always been crazy, but he makes sure wherever he goes, he's going to get his work in."