NFL star Travis Kelce plans to stay true to himself despite criticism of his relationship with the pop star Taylor Swiftwith whom she has been publicly dating since September 2023.

The tight end from the Kansas City Chiefs has had a slow start to the season, which many attribute to his attendance at Swift's international shows on The Eras Tour. Kelce recently explained why he wants to be there to personally support the "So High School" singer and how he plans to address criticism of his football career.

The NFL star had a slow start to the season, which critics blamed on his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift. Although the Eras tour ended in December 2024, Kelce traveled to several different countries over the summer to see her perform. He was notably absent during her last tour date in Canada.

During an appearance on The Stephen A. Smith show on Wednesday, Jan. 15, Kelce said, "You've got to be true to yourself" when discussing criticism of his relationship with the "Look What You Made Me Do" singer.

"People say things (and) you have to be able to think and look at yourself and see, 'Why are they saying these things?' I still played at a high level knowing all of that," he continued. "We won football games, which is all I cared about, and on top of that, this building knew how hard I worked and how focused I was on football during all year round.”

On Saturday, January 18, the Kansas City Chiefs will face the Houston Texans in the first playoff game of the season. A win will give the team a chance to play in the conference championship and the possibility of another Super Bowl victory.

Kelce insisted he is "focused" on getting another win, insisting, "I'm as focused as ever on my job and being the best player I can be week in and week out for this team."

"It's because I don't have to worry about things off the court," he added, seemingly referring to his relationship with Taylor Swift.

Between a cameo in "Happy Gilmore 2" and a guest appearance on "Are You Smarter Than A Celebrity?", Travis Kelce is on top of the world right now. "I enjoy all aspects of life, that's for sure," Kelce said during the interview. "Me and Taylor are happy and I couldn't be happier to have that confidence and comfort off the field and all the support I could ever ask for in the stadium."

"I mean, personally, the beauty of being in a strong relationship is that you get the support that you can go in and focus on your craft, focus on being the best version of yourself," he continued. "That's why I wanted to be at (her) concerts to support her and be there for her, to make sure she feels comfortable and supported in everything she does in life."

The Kansas City Chiefs will turn 36 in October. Given his highly successful podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, and extracurricular activities off the field, many wonder if he's thinking about retirement.

“It changes every day man,” Kelce said. “I love everything I do in this building. But at the end of the day, I don't have as much success on the field as I do individually. I'm excited for these next few games to play at Arrowhead to finish out this season.”

“I will reassess it as always. And I'll probably tell myself how much I love this thing and come back next year,” he continued. “It's something you have to keep in perspective, man. I never want to get to the point where I'm not helping this team win or I'm hurting this team more than I'm helping this team.”

He went on to say, “As long as I'm coming here and playing good football and enjoying coming into the building with my guys every day, you're going to see me in a Chiefs uniform.”

While she's taking a hiatus from touring after The Eras Tour, it appears that Taylor Swift is not taking a break from music. Although some fans speculated that he wanted to settle down and start a family, Kelce revealed that Swift "totally encouraged" him to "enjoy this game" and continue his football career.

“She loves coming to Arrowhead and coming to the games and cheering me on. I have all the support in the world to keep chasing these dreams,” he said.

Many fans are looking forward to Taylor Swift cheering on Travis Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium during the first game of the playoff season on January 18th.