Travis Kelce's return to his brand new NFL season might be off to a slightly rocky start, although it's not one the Kansas City Chiefs tight end can't…shake off.
The 35-year-old athlete returned to the field with his team for their first preseason game this year against the Arizona Cardinals, hoping to redeem their trajectory this season and return to the Super Bowl and take back their place as champions following their crushing loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
However, things didn't go the way they'd hoped, as the Cardinals emerged victorious 17-20, although as preseason games often go, it's not a huge sign of things to come so much as just "there's more work to be done."
The Chiefs will next face off in the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks on August 15 and then the Chicago Bears on August 22, before finally kicking off their regular season against the Los Angeles Charges on September 5, followed immediately by a rematch with the Eagles on September 14.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has remained encouraging about the team's prospects going into the coming season, including his tight end Travis being in prime form this year after reportedly losing 25lbs heading into the season, as well as his relationship with girlfriend Taylor Swift, who has been a fixture at several of his games.
During an appearance on Kansas City sports radio's 96.5 The Fan with Fescoe and Dusty earlier in the week, Andy, 67, explained that he actually knew Taylor, 35, and her family before she even met Travis and started dating him.
"My family has been a big fan of hers, and we know her father and mother and that whole deal from the Philadelphia area," he shared. "And her dad's a huge football fan, so we hit it off with him." Her father has been seen attending Chiefs games in the past (although used to be a diehard Eagles fan due to his Philly living).
"Then she became this famous person…Arguably the most famous woman in the world since probably the Queen passed away. But she sure handles it the right way, and that's the part I appreciate the most."
Andy was also asked about the prospect of a Travis and Taylor wedding, and questioned whether he had any stories about the NFL star he'd share in a toast. "Well, there are a few I can't tell," he quipped.
"I mean he's done so many good things – all the things he does off the field people don't know about, just helping people out. He's got a big heart that way. I appreciate that the most."
He also showered the couple with praise for bringing so much more mainstream attention to the sport, especially from female audiences, amid discourse surrounding the dilution of the sports fandom by Swifties. "I think it's great. Obviously, women and girls are looking at the game a little more."
"Look at flag football now – we're talking about Olympic sports, we're talking about college sports. Girls are having an opportunity to play the game and they're loving it. Not that it was all tied into [Taylor], but she had a big part of that. And the NFL has bought into that, too."