Fifteen seconds: That's how long it took before the first question about Taylor Swift was asked. Travis Kelce smiled from the stage and answered the question with unfeigned enthusiasm. A few days before the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 11, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the football player for the Kansas City Chiefs was taking part in the traditional media day. Against the San Francisco 49ers, he could win a third title in five years − a major achievement − but most of the first questions at the amiable press conference were about his girlfriend, the world-famous pop star.

For several months now, Kelce's high-profile romance with Swift has taken him into a new dimension, that of celebrities. So much so that it's no longer clear whether the Chiefs' number 87 is an American football player who's dating Taylor Swift, or vice versa.

Kelce is playing along. Taylor "has brought a lot of new faces to the game and it's been fun to experience that. She's a part of Chiefs kingdom right now. It's fun seeing her enjoy the game of football knowing that it's kind of new to her life." During the regular season, every time the singer attended a Chiefs game, TV cameras made sure not to miss a second.

Before they met in the summer of 2023, Kelce's personality and bonhomie had already made him a popular figure in the US. He appeared in commercials, participated in TV charity events and even hosted "Saturday Night Live."

The buzz surrounding the couple is almost enough to make you forget that Kelce is far from being a B-tier player in the prestigious National Football League (NFL). His main role as a tight end is to catch passes from the quarterback − the team's playmaker − to move up the field in the hope of scoring touchdowns. At this game, he, too, has reached the top of the charts.

After a ten-year career, 34-year-old Kelce ranks fifth at his position in NFL history for touchdowns scored (77) and fourth for yards gained (11,328) in the regular season. He could even move up the rankings since the receivers ahead of him are no longer active. His partnership with the quarterback Patrick Mahomes is also in the league's record books. The duo has reached a total of 17 touchdowns in playoff games (in six seasons played together), including three touchdowns scored by Kelce this season in the playoffs on Mahomes's passes. That's already more than the 14 touchdowns scored by the legendary Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, who played together for 11 years.

"He's [Travis Kelce] my GOAT [greatest of all-time] tight end," said Shannon Sharpe this week on ESPN, the only one (so far) to have more games with at least 150 receiving yards (6) than Kelce himself (5). "When he gets to the playoffs, he raises his level. There have been very few guys that can raise their level of play once it comes to the postseason," explained the former player, who won three Super Bowl rings.

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