“He’s not the same guy”: Ex-ESPN insider blames Travis Kelce’s decline on Taylor Swift romance

Ex-ESPN insider blames Travis Kelce’s decline on Taylor Swift romance – Source: Getty

Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift’s romance has been a positive influence on the NFL and Kansas City Chiefs’ popularity in lay public. While there are many positives to their buzzing relationship, are there are certain negatives that remained under the rock for a while? A fromer ESPN insider thinks so, and the negative, as per him, is the decline in Kelce’s on-field performance.

Todd McShay feels Swift’s presence is to be somehow blamed for Travis Kelce’s unsatisfying performances in the 2024 season so far. McShay shared details on his take during Monday’s episode of The Ryen Russillo Podcast.

“Every show I watch, every pregame show, halftime show, postgame show, weekday show, every broadcast I watch for the last few weeks, it’s like, are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape, that he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world,” McShay said. (1:02:40)

“I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024. They are barely the same human being. Everyone’s like, ‘We got to get him the ball, why isn’t he part of the offense?’ The defense is double-covering. Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets is the same. The athlete is not,” McShay concluded.

The offseason was pretty adventurous for Travis Kelce, who tagged along with girlfriend Taylor Swift on her Eras Tour throughout America and Europe.

In addition, the tight end also worked on multiple projects centered on acting, hosting and more. While McShay feels Kelce’s offseason fun has affected his performance, he isn’t blaming Swift for everything.

Todd McShay came clean on blaming Taylor Swift for Travis Kelce’s on-field decline

Moving forward in the podcast, Todd McShay came clean on blaming Taylor Swift’s influence on Travis Kelce’s unimpressive performance. The ESPN insider clarified that he didn’t blame the Blank Space singer for it but the tight end’s excessive off-field projects. Talking about the same, he said:

“I’m not blaming it on Taylor Swift, I’m not blaming anything. All I’m saying is when you win two Super Bowls, you got that whole tour that happens after the Super Bowl. He’s the most commercialized guy. There’s no one else doing more commercials I don’t think in the league.” (1:06:38)

“He and Mahomes are up there. I think Kelce’s doing more commercials and things. He’s been at more events, doing more things socially. It’s impossible to carry that schedule and still put in the same amount of time for football,” McShay further added.

Even though fans are yet to experience Travis Kelce’s magic on the field, the Chiefs have been successful in maintaining a winning streak. After beating the Falcons 22-17 on Sunday, the Chiefs are looking forward to facing the Chargers on September 29.

Do you think Kelce will be able to impress the fans against the Chargers?