Chiefs’ Travis Kelce finds sanctuary when he steps on the football field with life busier than ever

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Travis Kelce spent the offseason jetting around the world, following his girlfriend, pop superstar Taylor Swift, to multiple stops on her Eras Tour. He popped up on TV, showed up at some of the biggest sporting events in the world and continued to produce his popular podcast with his brother, retired Eagles center Jason Kelce.

The Chiefs tight end has never been busier. He’s never had more to juggle, with more eyes on everything he is doing.

All of which makes the Chiefs’ practice facility, along with Arrowhead Stadium just up the hill and across an expanse of parking lots, something of a sanctuary, where Kelce can let loose with some of his closest confidants.

“I just love football, and how it takes me away from life,” Kelce said Tuesday, two days before the Kansas Chiefs play the Baltimore Ravens in a rematch of their AFC championship game and officially lift the lid on the NFL’s regular season.

“It gives me something I can feel genuinely happy about,” Kelce continued. “I enjoy coming into the building, working on my craft, getting to understand a new game plan and perfecting that for the people around me. It gives me a purpose to kind of go about my day and live my life. And I just have so much excitement in what I’m doing.”

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Indeed, Kelce had an unmistakable bounce to his step after Tuesday’s practice, and not just because he made it through healthy; he hyperextended his knee during the same practice a year ago, causing him to miss Week 1 against Detroit.

Kelce, who turns 35 next month, has history within his sights.

He needs just three touchdown catches to pass Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez for the franchise record. He needs 10 receptions to pass Gonzalez for that career mark. Seven touchdowns would move Kelce past Priest Holmes for the most total career touchdowns in Kansas City. And he already is the franchise leader with 11,328 yards receiving.

Then there is the most important piece of history, at least as far as Kelce is concerned: The Chiefs are aiming for a record third consecutive Super Bowl title, which would give him a fourth ring in a six-year span.

“I’ve been fortunate to be able to play as many games as I played,” he said. “That’s why I really enjoy going out there every single day, even if it’s just a practice to work on my craft. Because not everybody gets that same fortune in their career.”

Kelce doesn’t know when he will call it quits. He insists that he’s having too much fun to even consider it right now. But the last couple of weeks alone underscore just how varied his interests have become away from the field.

While he was preparing for Week 1 against Baltimore, Kelce’s representatives — along with those of his brother — were finalizing a three-year deal with Amazon’s Wondery reportedly worth nine figures for the exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights to their “New Heights” podcast. The deal includes the back catalog of their podcast content along with the exclusive rights to monetize and distribute audio and video episodes beginning with this season.

The same day that news broke, Team Valor International founder and CEO Barry Irwin announced Kelce recently acquired a significant share in a 3-year-old gelding named — appropriately or coincidentally — Swift Delivery.

“It’s very exciting,” Irwin told The Associated Press in a phone interview. “I met him at the Kentucky Derby and got to spend some time with him and stuff, and we talked about horses and everything. When this horse came to light and it was owned by one of my partners already, with the name I figured this has got to be a no-brainer.”

Kelce’s coaches and teammates — chief among them quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of his best friends — marvel at his ability to compartmentalize everything happening in his life, just as they marvel at what he continues to do on the field.

While there were times last season when it looked as if Kelce might have lost a step, he still caught 93 passes for 984 yards and five touchdowns. Then came the playoffs, where he had 32 catches for 355 yards and three TDs in just four games.

It’s hard to step away, whenever that might happen, when the Chiefs remain the dominant franchise in the NFL.

“You have days off where maybe it’s a little bit tougher,” Kelce said, “but who doesn’t, man? Everybody has those days. But what you got to understand is that, you know, the goal in mind of the team is bigger than you, and everybody needs you to be at your best. And my college coach, Butch Jones, always told me, ‘You’re a fountain or a drain.’ You don’t want to be draining anybody.”

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AP Sports Writer Stephen Whyno in Washington contributed to this report.

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