Jason Kelce is “happy” for younger brother Travis Kelce amid his relationship with Taylor Swift, but he still has some concerns about the heightened attention on the couple.
“It’s certainly been weird, the level that it is now,” Jason, 35, told NBC Sports on Sunday, October 22, reflecting on the frenzy Swift, 33, has sparked with her attendance at Kansas City Chiefs games this season. “On one hand, I’m happy for my brother that he seems to be in a relationship that he’s excited about [and] that he is genuine about. But there’s another end of it where it’s like, ‘Man, this is a lot.’”
Jason — who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles and recently broke the team’s record for most consecutive starts — confessed that the constant conversation surrounding Travis, 34, and Swift is “another level of stardom that typically football players don’t deal with.”
While he’s “really, really happy” about his brother’s budding romance, Jason still feels protective. “There’s some alarms, sometimes, with how over-in-pursuit people can be,” he said. “Overall, he can deal with some of this. As long as it’s not becoming a threat to his safety and things like that.”
Travis publicly expressed interest in Swift after seeing one of her Eras Tour performances in Kansas City in July, revealing on his “New Heights” podcast at the time that he was “butthurt” about not getting to meet the pop star. Two months later, she made her first appearance to support Travis and the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.
“I just thought it was awesome that everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. The friends and family. She looked amazing … and on top of that, the day went perfect for Chiefs fans. We script it all, ladies and gentleman,” Travis teased on “New Heights” in September, calling Swift “ballsy” for showing up to the VIP suite. “It was absolutely electric.”
Swift sat with Donna Kelce in Travis’ private box, celebrating the team’s victory over the Chicago Bears. “To see the slow motion chest bumps, to see the high fives with mom, to see how Chiefs kingdom was all excited that she was there … it was definitely a game I’ll remember, that’s for damn sure,” Travis gushed.
Since then, Swift has cheered for Travis at three more Chiefs games — and her presence has appeared to have a major impact on his performance. During the CBS broadcast of the team’s Sunday game against the Los Angeles Chargers, a graphic was shown comparing Travis’ stats with Swift in the crowd (gaining 99 yards per game) to when he’s “left to his own devices” (46.5 yards).
Chiefs coach Andy Reid has seen the difference, too. “Kelce keeps getting better with time,” he told reporters after Sunday’s win, adding, “Taylor can stay around all she wants.”
The couple went on to celebrate the 31-17 victory, posing with Travis’ teammate Mecole Hardman Jr. and his girlfriend Chariah Gordon after the game. Gordon shared a glimpse of the big night via Instagram on Monday, October 23, including one photo of Swift kissing Travis on the cheek as she placed her hand on his chest.
While Swift hasn’t addressed her budding romance directly, her inner circle is fully supportive. “They’re really happy. They’re not saying they’re in love yet. But it’s obvious to her friends they’re heading in that direction,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month. “Friends think they’re in love.”
