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Travis Kelce might retire after his next NFL season — and his new reason will charm Taylor Swift. Here’s what an insider said about Kelce’s sweet plan.
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Travis Kelce had Taylor Swift to comfort him following the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss. While Kelce had high hopes for a three-peat, he’ll return for another season in the hopes of getting back to the Super Bowl and playing even better as the team’s tight end. Rumors are circulating that Kelce’s 2025-2026 NFL season might be his last. Here’s what an insider said about Kelce having a new reason to hang his cleats in 2026.
Travis Kelce might want to retire from the NFL after his next season due to Taylor Swift’s favorite number
Travis Kelce adores the Kansas City Chiefs, and he hopes to keep playing for the NFL as long as his gameplay remains sharp. Kelce was ridiculed by fans during the 2024 season, as they assumed he was preoccupied with his relationship with Taylor Swift. While it seemed like the tight end might choose to retire after the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIX loss, he intends to get back at it. However, an insider told DailyMail.com that Kelce is learning “what retirement will be like” thanks to all of the traveling and downtime he’s had with Swift post-season.
“He is loving this time with Taylor, and he is very happy it is all going well because this is what he will be dealing with after his playing days are over,” the insider alleged.
The source noted that Kelce “is going to go all in on this [next] season, as he expects it to be his last.”
“He wants to retire as a Chief,” the source continued, “and his contract is up after this year. [So] his current idea is to hang it up after this season.”
The insider added that Kelce might’ve come up with another reason to hang his cleats in 2025. And it all has to do with Swift’s favorite number.
“…[A] thought that passed his mind was what if he were to retire after next season, he would then be eligible for the NFL [Pro Football] Hall of Fame in 2031 [since you have to have been retired at least five years],” the insider explained. “Flip the 31 around, and that is 13 — Taylor’s favorite number. Such a random thought did pass his mind.”
The source explained how “timings and dates play a very important part in both their lives, to the point where the 2031 date has now taken on some significance.”
Taylor Swift explained the significance of her favorite number
Travis Kelce is well aware of Taylor Swift’s favorite number. Swift explained on The Jay Leno Show why she connects with 13.
“I was born on the 13th. I turned 13 on Friday the 13th,” she said in 2009. “My first album went gold in 13 weeks. My first No. 1 song had a 13-second intro. Every time I’ve won an award I’ve been seated in either the 13th seat, the 13th row, the 13th section, or row M, which is the 13th letter. Basically, whenever a 13 comes up in my life, it’s a good thing.”
Swift also released her albums Evermore and Folklore the same year she turned 31. One album has 15 tracks while the other has 16 tracks — totaling 31, which is 13 backward.
“Ever since I was 13, I’ve been excited about turning 31 because it’s my lucky number backwards, which is why I wanted to surprise you with this now,” she wrote on X in December 2020.
Travis Kelce says his famous girlfriend gives him ‘all the support in the world’
Travis Kelce has Taylor Swift’s blessing to keep chasing his NFL dreams. Sports TV personality Stephen A. Smith asked Kelce about potentially retiring after Super Bowl LIX. Kelce said he wasn’t sure where the future would take him. However, as far as Swift is concerned, he noted that she “fully” encourages him to keep playing and “chasing” his “dreams.”
“She’s fully encouraging me to enjoy playing this game,” Kelce said. “She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the game and cheering for me. So, I got all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams.”
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