After the Kansas City Chiefs won the Super Bowl last year, Travis Kelce fulfilled his dream of hosting Saturday Night Live and turned all his wishful thinking about meeting Taylor Swift into a reality.
So that's a pretty high bar he set for himself when it comes to making the most of 2024's offseason, the handful of months between the end of the NFL season (or postseason, if you're the dynastic Chiefs) and the beginning of training camp in June.
But in case you missed the 13 games Taylor attended—including Super Bowl LVIII, resulting in the Chiefs' second straight championship and third in five years—this past season, rest assured that all the pieces are in place for Travis to achieve new heights during this spring break as well.
For instance, he's already reached at least 36,000 feet, jetting to Australia in time for a day date to the Sydney Zoo before the first of Taylor's four concerts in Sydney—where he was dutifully recorded bopping along as she again tweaked her lyric to "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs." She kicks off March with six shows in Singapore and then has a two-month blank space before the Eras Tour resumes in Paris.
Which, incidentally, is the spot where all the l'amour happens.
Contrary to some fans' wildest dreams, however, Travis and Taylor won't necessarily be spending every second of their combined offseasons together just because they can.
According to Taylor, the pair started hanging out after he made his "metal as hell" move in July, regaling New Heights podcast listeners with the story of his thwarted attempt to give her his number, and were a couple by the time she went to her first Chiefs game Sept. 24.
And they've since proved they can handle seemingly more obvious couple moments—her 34th birthday party, the Grammys, Valentine's Day, Chiefs vs. Vikings—without each other, after which they simply reunite for something better á deux.
Whether they're at his palatial 17,000-square-foot mansion in Kansas City or one of her eight homes—or anywhere else in the world—their vibes seem to mesh pretty seamlessly: Taylor has acquired another closet's worth of Chiefs gear and assorted sporty accessories (the "87" jewelry alone needs its own cupboard), while Travis is now in the circle of trust that listens to her music ahead of time.
"I've heard some," he revealed to reporters after Taylor announced at the Grammys that her 11th studio album, The Tortured Poets Department, will be out April 19. "Yes, and it is unbelievable. I can't wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops." (He even talks the talk.)
But part of the magic of not meeting at 22, they both came into this relationship as adults with full separate lives that require respective nurturing. Which isn't to say that everything has not changed, or that a double date with surprise Super Bowl afterparty revelers Megan Fox and Machine Gun Kelly isn't in their future, but they each have their own... stuff.
On the football side of things, Travis may be perfectly fit for travel, but the now-34-year-old tight end has to tend to his 6-foot-5 temple in the offseason.
"I feel like I just got in a train wreck, man," he told brother Jason Kelce on a New Heights episode recorded a few days after the Chiefs' 25-22 Super Bowl victory. "That was a physical game, man...five quarters of just hard-nosed football."
He quickly added, as he and his older sibling chuckled at the understatement, "It was worth every single discomfort and pain that I woke up to today, just couldn't be happier for the guys, man."
While maybe not as known to the non-sporting world for his fitness regimen—unlike, say, Mr. TB12 Tom Brady—Travis is all business in the gym, especially when he's on his own.
"You're not going to be around somebody every single time you work out or every single time you train, so you've got to take it into a professional mindset and think, this is what I need to do to be ready," the athlete, a.k.a. "Trainer Trav," explained to Tonal in March 2022 about his intense offseason workouts. "That's just where I'm at in my career."
And that jaunty nickname?
"People don't know that I'm a fiend for the anatomy of the body," he said. "'Trainer Trav' has been a joke for me my entire career because I was the knucklehead that made myself Trainer Trav, it wasn't just given to me. I've always laughed about it, but it's real."
Like seemingly every other professional athlete, active or retired, Travis also plays golf. He squeezed in a round for charity in Las Vegas seemingly hours before he flew to Australia, his dad Ed Kelce coyly telling the Sydney Morning Herald of his son's plans, "He said he'd really like to see Sydney and Singapore, but he wasn't sure because he has commitments."
Boasting an 11 handicap, Travis sank the winning putt last year when he paired with Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes for Capital One's The Match, the duo dispatching Golden State Warriors teammates Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson.
The on-and-off-field compatriots have also been regulars at the annual American Century Championship in Lake Tahoe, where Travis won a longest drive contest (362 yards) last July—and yes, tournament organizers started pondering months ago the possibility of having a certain famous bystander in the crowd this summer.
"We could handle it, but she is on a different level," Phil Weidinger, whose company does PR for the event, told the Reno Gazette Journal in November. (Though technically Taylor has a couple of days off, flying in from Zurich to observe in silence and politely clap between swings before heading back across the Atlantic to Milan sounds unnecessarily taxing.)
When logistics abide, however, a double-date night with Patrick and Brittany Mahomes seems feasible, Taylor having bonded with the 28-year-old mother of two while cheering on the Chiefs this past season. (And their friendship is Instagram-official.)
Patrick, who's played with Taylor's boyfriend since 2017, told reporters in January that "Travis has always been Travis" and still was, never mind the change in his romantic status from single to in-a-relationship-with-TIME's-Person-of-the-Year.
"He still will walk through the stadium and treat every single person like they're his best friend," Patrick noted. "And he's going to be like that in the locker room every single day."
During Media Week before the Super Bowl, the two-time league MVP said it's been "awesome" to see Travis and Taylor's relationship grow, adding, "Taylor is a great person."
Jason, meanwhile, has also signed off on Travis' current level of euphoria.
"My brother and his love life is definitely the topic of the NFL right now," Jason, who's said to be mulling retirement after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, said on the NFL Network Feb. 4. "And the whole thing with that is, as long as Travis is happy and enjoying life, I'm happy and enjoying life."
Though contrary to some internet, er, observers who think Travis has changed his fashion game since coupling with Taylor, he was also always into getting dressed up for big moments. Last year he sported Louis Vuitton before the Super Bowl, but wanting to highlight an American designer this year he collaborated with Mike Amiri on that sequined black suit he wore to Allegiant Stadium in Vegas.
"Fit like a glove, baby," Travis crowed on New Heights. "It was comfortable, too."
Hey, the man loves a matching set. He strolled into Sydney's Accor Stadium this week in a patterned turquoise shirt and shorts, beaming profusely as he made his way to the special section reserved for the boy on the football team.
But if you want more evidence that Travis belongs with Taylor, these photos tracing their romance are pretty convincing:
July 2023: So, Make the Friendship Bracelets
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story began in July 2023, when the singer's Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.
As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.
"I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. "So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."
Summer 2023: This Is Him Trying
After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as "metal as hell"—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.
"I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court," he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. "I told her, you know, 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.' So, we'll see what happens in the near future."
August 2023: Enchanted to Meet You
Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.
As he later noted of the era, "That 'stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time."
September 2023: Sparks Fly
By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were "texting and talking here and there."
"It's been very low-key," the insider explained, "as he's been in season."
September 2023: Cheer Captain
Accepting Travis' invite, Taylor joined the athlete's mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar.
Though folklore had it that it was the couple's first in-person meeting, the "Karma" singer later clarified the two had spent a "significant amount of time" getting to know each other beforehand.
As Taylor noted, "We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date."
October 2023: Team Up
As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad—including friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski—to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
October 2023: It's Nice to Have a Friend
Another sign that Travis could be The 1? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes—the wife of Travis' BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes—in and outside of NFL games.
October 2023: Welcome to New York
The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live. Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn.
November 2023: Karma Is Her Boyfriend
During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor's Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor's dad, Scott Swift, at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage.
"Karma is that guy on the Chiefs," Taylor sang, "coming straight home to me."
After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss.
December 2024: Speak Now
Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis' games.
"I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're showing up for each other, other people are there and we don't care," she told Time. "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you're seeing someone."
December 2023: You, Who Charmed Her Dad
The music superstar turned Travis' Dec. 17 game into a family affair, bringing her dad to cheer on her man.
January 2024: All the Midnights
Taylor and Travis spent their first New Year's Eve together, sharing a romantic kiss when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1.
January 2024: Chosen Family
Continuing to bond with Travis' family, Taylor hung out with his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce at the Chiefs' game against the Buffalo Bills.
January 2024: Saved by the Perfect Kiss
Taylor joined Travis on the football field when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, a victory that cemented the team's spot in the 2024 Super Bowl. The couple shared a celebratory kiss before exchanging the L-word.
"Tay, I'm gonna enjoy with the guys," he told her. "I love you—so much it's not funny."
February 2024: Super Bowl Champs
The pair locked lips on the field after Travis led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.
February 2024: TikTok Official
Taylor posted footage of Travis on social media for the first time Feb. 12, poking fun at how she took her parents clubbing with the athlete after the Super Bowl.