The Kansas City Chiefs are off to an electric start to the 2026 season, sitting at 5-0 entering Sunday’s Week 7 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
However, going back to the offseason, many didn’t know whether legendary tight end Travis Kelce would return for another season.
After missing the playoffs last year, Kelce entered the offseason contemplating whether he still wanted to play. From what he said, the decision wasn’t challenging after he took time to reflect.
“It was a pretty easy decision to come back,” Kelce said. “I wanted to give my chance to actually feel the emotion, take everything, try not to take a drastic decision.
“I really didn’t want it to end like that and I still feel like I’ve got a lot of ball left in me. I enjoy Sundays so damn much, man.”
Taylor Swift Influenced His Decision to Return
When Kelce announced his return on “The Pat McAfee Show,” he revealed that his wife, Taylor Swift, was a major influence on his decision to return for a 14th NFL season, despite having little left to prove.
“Without a doubt, without a doubt [watching her be on top of her field inspire me to continue playing],” Kelce told McAfee. “We share the same love for what we do and fortunately, we’ve had this desire since we were kids in our selective professions.”
“Taylor and I share the same love for what we do..
It’s so motivating watching her do what she does..
I still got some juice left to play the game of football” ~ @tkelce #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/UWDQiPRIcE— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 10, 2026
Kelce went on to discuss Swift’s music career and explain how watching her approach her work motivated him.
“It’s just amazing to see her keep going to the table. Keep finding new things to write about. Keep finding new melodies and things like that. And on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does, of course that’s motivating,” Kelce added. “That’s motivating for anyone to see, let alone you know, [me watching] my fiancée and knowing that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out exactly what the future holds for me. Something like that definitely motivates me to say, ‘You know what? I’m not done either. I’ve still got some ideas in the back of my mind. I’ve still got some juice left to play this game.’”
Related: Chiefs TE Travis Kelce Can Make NFL History Against Seahawks on Sunday Night
