REASONS Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce have been so quiet lately! He seems like a guy who doesn’t want to be noticed.

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard much about Travis Kelce.
He’s an international icon now. It’s been that way since he started dating Taylor Swift. But the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has been pretty quiet during the team’s training camp in St. Joseph, Missouri. He seems like a guy who doesn’t want to be noticed.

It’s not like he has totally fallen off the radar, however. Kelce recently announced he’s hosting a game show. And sadly, Swift recently had to cancel some concerts in Austria due to terrorism threats, which stalled her Eras Tour for a week. Kelce has been staying in touch with her, according to reports.

But at Chiefs practices and preseason games, he has seemed relaxed and, perhaps, even muted.
Chiefs camp is certainly the right place for that. Because the team spends camp at Missouri Western State University, it’s insulated from public attention. Kelce is sleeping in one of the dorms — probably pushing together two twin beds to fit his 6-foot-5, 250-pound frame. It’s a humble setup.

“This is my sanctuary, baby,” Kelce said on July 27. “St. Joe. Year 12. I’ve spent almost an entire year of my life up here in the dorms. Everybody may see that as pretty grueling, but I enjoy it, man. There’s something about this place that gets you ready every single year. And I’m not going to lie, I got pretty excited [for camp to start].”

The “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” podcast hasn’t dropped a new episode since July 3 after previously averaging about four per month. And Kelce has spoken to the local media just twice since the Super Bowl.

At camp, the 34-year-old Kelce participates in drills, but the Chiefs clearly have him taking it easy — and justifiably so. That has provided more snaps for tight ends Noah Gray, Jared Wiley and Irv Smith. And, most importantly, it’s meant to help Kelce stay on the field for the entire season, perhaps even into February again.

Last year must have been a lot for Kelce — in good ways, of course. He started dating Swift, and he won the Super Bowl again. His snap count (775) was the lowest it has been since 2014, but the offensive load fell on him more than ever from a schematic sense.

Kansas City’s offense got off to a putrid start. Patrick Mahomes said “it wasn’t a lot of fun” to struggle like the Chiefs did in those early weeks. The only pass-catcher he could trust was Kelce, who led the team in receptions and receiving yards despite missing two games. Even when playing, Kelce was managing a knee injury that he suffered going into the season and an ankle injury that he sustained in Week 5.

He punctuated the Chiefs’ 21-game season with a postseason run during which he had 32 catches on 37 targets for 355 yards and three touchdowns.
Kelce referenced the rigors of last season when asked how he managed his high-profile offseason of travels with Swift.

“I would say the biggest thing was getting my body right,” he said. “Last year was pretty taxing on my body. It is what it is. I’ve had more snaps than a lot of guys, if not everybody in the NFL over the past five, six years. I’m very fortunate and very prideful of that. But I know it has taken a toll on my body. It’s just making sure that my body is getting that rest and my ability to train harder and be able to withstand a 17- to 20-game season.”