It’s official: Travis Kelce is in his model era.
Less than seven hours after Taylor Swift announced the title of her 12th album, Kelce, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end and University of Cincinnati alum, graced the cover of GQ magazine. In the spread, Kelce is seen “trudging through swamps,” as the magazine noted, while “cradling alligators and riding airboats” in the Everglades.
Along with the photoshoot, GQ magazine wrote a cover story on Kelce, which dives into his football training regimen, his next career move and his life dating a superstar.
Here are some highlights from GQ’s September 2025 issue starring Kelce.
Travis Kelce gushes over Taylor Swift in GQ magazine
Kelce opened up about the blinding spotlight of being Swift’s “plus one” and how he’s navigating the pressure, in the more than 6,000-word article written by Simon and Schuster publisher Sean Manning.
“When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love,” Kelce said. “It can be perceived as something else because of how much it is talked about and how much we are tracked whenever we do go out, but I would say that it’s as normal of … it happened very organically even though from a media standpoint it was being tracked. It still happened very organically.”
Kelce said one of the most refreshing parts of dating Swift has been realizing the similarity between their worlds.
“I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions,” he said. “That was very relatable, seeing how exhausted she would get after shows. She may not think of herself as an athlete. She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I’ve seen what she goes through. I’ve seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it’s mind-blowing.”
In the GQ article, Kelce also called Swift’s Eras Tour “electric” and said he’s amazed by the singer-songwriter’s stamina.
Travis Kelce said he made Taylor Swift a football fan
Swift has become one of the Chiefs’ biggest fans since she started dating Kelce, and is often seen sporting the team’s signature red, gold and white colors and various “87” themed accessories, in honor of her boyfriend’s jersey number.
But before she met the 10-time Pro Bowler, Swift, who is from West Reading, Pennsylvania, grew up supporting the Philadelphia Eagles, who ironically defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl 59. She even mentioned the team in her 2020 song “Gold Rush” in the line “Eagles T-shirt hanging from the door.”
Swift also performed “Today was a Fairytale” in a customized Eagles jersey dress during her first arena concert in Philadelphia on March 19, 2010. As noted by The Philadelphia Inquirer, Swift was then seen entering her New York recording studio, Electric Lady Studios, in June 2023, rocking an Eagles crewneck, just three months before her relationship with Kelce went public.
Despite Swift’s support of the Eagles over the years, Kelce still told GQ he believes he is the reason the “Midnights” singer got into football.
“I sort of made her a football fan,” Kelce said. “She is the most engulfed fan now. She knows what the injury reports look like. She understands what special situations are, third and short—all these things because she just naturally loves to hear about my job.”
Travis Kelce is ‘getting back to his roots’ before the 2025 NFL season
The Cleveland Heights native, who is currently residing in South Florida, has spent the offseason in the Sunshine State to “get back to his roots,” Manning wrote. But what does that mean exactly?
Per the GQ article, Kelce has been working with Tony Villani, a speed and agility coach based in Fort Lauderdale. Villani trained Kelce for the 2011 NFL scouting combine and has worked with the tight end for most of his career.
Although the duo took a break from working together when Kelce “moved his off-season operations to Los Angeles,” the article adds that Kelce is now seeking to “regroup” from last season’s Super Bowl loss by working with Villani again.
“I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of acting and being an entertainer,” Kelce said. “I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’ I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.”
“I just have such a motivation to show up this year for my guys,” he added.
Travis Kelce reps Cincinnati during offseason workout
Manning tagged along with Kelce on a workout session at XPE Sports in Fort Lauderdale, as research for the GQ spread. The author wrote that Kelce arrived at the facility wearing a hat with the words “Cincinnati” written on it, a “logo-less” black T-shirt, black Nike shorts and vintage LeBron basketball shoes, which he said he prefers to wear for training.
Kelce then proceeded to make his way through an hour-long workout consisting of “high-tech, data-yielding drills” including 15-yard flies, split squats, standing jumps and Shredmill sprints. He ended his workout with 30 minutes of dumbbell box step-ups and single-leg RDLs.
However, this wasn’t the only nod to the Queen City included in Kelce’s September feature story.
The article also mentions how Kelce was suspended from the University of Cincinnati for a “marijuana violation,” and how he chugged a beer before receiving his belated diploma during a live taping of “New Heights” at Fifth Third Arena.
Travis Kelce talks life after the NFL
Kelce did not reveal any details about his NFL exit in the Aug. 12 article with GQ. However, he did chat about what his life may look like after he’s done playing.
The Kelce brothers signed a deal in 2024 with Amazon’s studio Wondery for their “New Heights” podcast, which is still good for a couple of years, Manning wrote. He also added that Kelce is part-owner of the Missouri-based, family-owned car wash chain Club Car Wash.
But what about the center stage? Kelce stated that while he enjoys acting, he’s unsure if he will continue to pursue it after football.
However, he did say he would like to “stay around the football world” while dabbling in other areas. He continued saying he would also like to spend more time around his family.
“I think there is a happy medium,” Kelce said.
“I don’t want to get too busy to where I’m traveling all over the world and I’m not present at home.”
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Travis Kelce is giving Florida man in GQ photoshoot, reps Cincinnati during workout
Reporting by Haadiza Ogwude and Bryan West, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
