LAS VEGAS — Travis Kelce watched his girlfriend win a trophy on Sunday and now he wants one of his own.
The Chiefs’ plane landed just in time here on Sunday for Kelce to watch the Grammys and see his girlfriend Taylor Swift take home her fourth “Album of the Year” award.
“She’s unbelievable,” Kelce said on Monday’s “Opening Night” at the Super Bowl. “She’s rewriting the history books. I told her I need to hold up my end of the bargain and bring home some hardware, too.”
The Chiefs tight end drew a crowd during the media event at Allegiant Stadium.
There were more than a dozen cameras around his podium and about 100 reporters, some who had been in position for hours. Patrick Mahomes was the only Chiefs player that drew a crowd of similar size.
This is nothing new for Kelce, who was in the spotlight last year at the Super Bowl when he faced his brother Jason, the Eagles’ center.
This was a bit different, though.
Kelce’s crowd had reporters from not just sports media, but the entertainment world thanks to his high-profile romance with Swift.
Reporters from “Inside Edition” and “Extra” were not there to ask him about how to attack the 49ers’ defense on Sunday.
Kelce did not avoid the topic of Swift when she was brought up. He seemed to enjoy it.
“I don’t know if I’ve brought too much to the game,” he said about Swifties now becoming Chiefs fans. “I just go out there and have fun. Taylor has an unbelievable fan base that follows her and supports her throughout her life.”
He praised Swift’s role in bringing new fans to the NFL.
“She’s definitely brought a lot of new faces to the game,” Kelce said. “It’s been fun to experience that.”
The relationship between Kelce and Swift has been one of the biggest stories of the NFL season.
They went public in September that they were dating and she soon became a fixture at Chiefs games and on NFL broadcasts.
Young girls who are Swift fans are now rooting for the Chiefs to win their third Super Bowl in five years.
“It’s been fun to gather the Swifties into Chiefs kingdom and open them up to the football world, to the sports world,” Kelce said. “It’s been cool just to experience all that.”
Swift is expected to be at the Super Bowl on Sunday but she will be flying in from Japan where she has a concert on Saturday.
“She seems to be enjoying the games,” Kelce said. “She’s a part of Chiefs kingdom right now. It’s fun to see her enjoy the game of football, knowing that it’s kind of new to her.”
The entertainment reporters threw Kelce some curveballs.
What era is he in, a reference to Swift’s “Eras” tour.
“The Super Bowl Era,” Kelce said.
Favorite Swift song?
“Right now I’d say ‘Anti-Hero’ because I hear it every single day,” he said.
What has he learned from Swift that he can apply to football?
“Man, that’s a great question. I don’t know. I guess she has an amazing love for life,” Kelce said. “So, just checking my ego at the door and bring the right energy every single day.”
Swift announced she will release a new album in April and Kelce said he has already heard some of it.
“It is unbelievable,” he said before saying he would not reveal much more.
At one point, Kelce fielded a question from the comedian Carrot Top.
“Carrot Top himself, what’s up baby?” Kelce said. “I’m living the dream.”
Kelce, 34, also let everyone know he is not ready to retire and ride off into the sunset with Swift just yet.
“That’s always a question you get when you’re later in your career and you start to fall off,” Kelce said of retirement. “So, thanks for telling me I’m not as good as I once was. It’s something that you’ve got to think about. I think I come into this building and these arenas and I come in and I work my tail off for these guys.
“I have so much love for this game. I can’t imagine not doing this for as long as I can because I know I’ll miss it when I’m all said and done. I can’t put a time stamp on how long I’ll play but I know I’m loving every single day coming into work right now.”
