Travis Kelce made a stylish return to Arrowhead Stadium on Saturday, proudly flashing his wedding ring as he arrived for his first Kansas City Chiefs preseason game since getting married.
The 36-year-old NFL standout marked a major milestone during the offseason, marrying pop superstar Taylor Swift in a glamorous, celebrity-filled ceremony at Madison Square Garden in New York City on July 3 before the couple headed off on a whirlwind honeymoon.
But after a summer filled with personal celebrations, the Chiefs tight end shifted his focus back to football as Kansas City opened its preseason schedule against the Los Angeles Rams at Arrowhead Stadium, with Kelce preparing to enter his 14th NFL season.
Kelce arrived at the Kansas City venue with the confident fashion sense fans have come to expect, wearing a matching knit shirt-and-shorts set accented with gold tie-dye detailing.
The three-time Super Bowl champion completed the relaxed game-day look with blacked-out sunglasses and a pair of black sneakers.
Still, the standout piece was unmistakable: his gleaming gold wedding band, which caught the spotlight as he walked into the stadium.
Travis Kelce proudly displayed his gold wedding band while arriving at Arrowhead Stadium
The 36-year-old NFL star recently married pop sensation Taylor Swift
The ring caught attention as Kelce also clutched a can of orange Accelerator Active Energy Drink in his left hand. Kelce is an investor and prominent partner of the drinks brand.
However, his new wife was not initially spotted in one of the luxury suites at Arrowhead – as she often is for the Chiefs’ home games – as the clash kicked off for the first quarter.
The Shake It Off hitmaker was spotted stepping out in London earlier this week in her first solo sighting as a married woman.
Kelce was not expected to play in the exhibition game and did not start alongside a number of Chiefs stars, including Patrick Mahomes.
It marked a career first for Mahomes, who has notoriously remained active in preseason games compared to other starting quarterbacks, who often sit out games in order to avoid any risk of injury.
Mahomes has made a remarkable recovery from the torn ACL and LCL he suffered in his left knee against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 14 last December. He was fully cleared ahead of training camp, but the team has been understandably cautious with his return.
However, head coach Andy Reid confirmed earlier in the week that Mahomes will sit out entirely for the first time since he was drafted back in 2017 when the Chiefs host the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night.
The Chiefs made some quarterback moves over the offseason, drafting Garrett Nussmeier from LSU in the seventh round and trading for Justin Fields from the New York Jets .
The tight end arrived to his first Kansas City Chiefs preseason game in style
Kelce dressed in a knit co-ord shirt and short set featuring a gold tie-dye detailing
Fields started the game with Nussmeier and Chris Oladokun expected to take snaps later in the matchup.
Meanwhile, Kelce came under fire ahead of the clash earlier this week when NFL insider Jason La Canfora claimed that scouts in the league have suggested the tight end is finished at the top level.
‘Kelce is done. That’s over. What you saw last year, that’s what he is,’ Canfora claimed that one NFL scout told him, according to Casino Guru News.
The brutal assessment comes shortly after social media users claimed that Kelce had returned to Chiefs practice with a ‘dad bod’ after his whirlwind summer.
Kelce endured one of his toughest seasons of his NFL career last year, as the Kansas City Chiefs missed out on the playoffs for the first time since 2014.
On Wednesday afternoon, Kelce openly admitted that he felt partly to blame for the team’s struggles and will look to rectify that during his 14th NFL season.
When asked about what he wants to improve, Kelce said: ‘Just being a better leader.
‘When we get stuck, with adversity hitting, who’s going to want you in that foxhole with you? That’s one of those things, I want to be one of those guys that everybody counts on to be there and get us out of that foxhole.’
The veteran star was not expected to play in the exhibition game and did not start
Kelce still suited up and warmed up as he prepared to support his teammate on the sideline
‘There were things I could have done better in that regard,’ Kelce added.
Asked about how practice was going, he said: ‘I feel ready to rock and roll. Just trying to make sure I set that example for the guys around me, that this is the standard.’
Elsewhere on Tuesday afternoon, Kelce finally shed some light on his star-studded and highly secretive wedding with popstar Swift.
While his focus is back on football for the time being, the tight end could not avoid inevitable questions about his offseason activities in his first press conference this season, saying his ‘crazy’ wedding was the ‘best night of his life’.
Kelce said: ‘It was a fun offseason, man, wedding was the best night of my life and I appreciate everyone who came out and celebrated and had fun with us.
‘That’s about all I really got from that night. It was a crazy night. It was full of a lot of celebration. But it’s football, baby.’
Asked specifically about getting married at Madison Square Garden, he added: ‘MSG, man. You know, I always told myself I’d go for a playoff game when the Knicks were rocking. Then my wife went when I was stuck in minicamp, so I didn’t get my opportunity to go then.
‘So it’s kind of cool to be able to live out my childhood dream of being in that venue, the Mecca of all sports venues, being able to get married in there.
‘I can’t thank the owners of MSG for allowing us to get the opportunity to do that, knowing we wanted a private event and everything, so it was perfect. And the AC was perfect, man, that’s the best part.’
