Travis Kelce made his grand arrival on Monday Night Football with the Kansas City Chiefs looking to go 5-0 with a win against the New Orleans Saints at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kelce entered the stadium about two hours before kickoff, wearing a black T-shirt, shorts, sunglasses and a pair of white shoes. He went directly onto the field to warm up before the game.
“He looks great, look at this,” said his brother Jason, who is working as an ESPN analyst for the game, as footage of Kelce’s arrival appeared.
His girlfriend, Taylor Swift, is expected to follow him to the arrivals gate before kickoff, after missing her birthday on Saturday, when the Super Bowl winner turned 35.
Kelce has endured an inconsistent start to the season by his high standards, but showed signs of a resurgence in form in last Sunday’s 17-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.
Travis Kelce arrived at Arrowhead Stadium on Monday wearing a pair of cleats for Chiefs vs. Saints
Kelce, 35, was wearing a black T-shirt and beige pants upon his arrival at the stadium.
He had 89 yards, more than in his first three games combined, and made a franchise-record 917th reception.
But the tight end made it clear that he still expects more from himself and dismissed suggestions that he was back to his best on last week’s episode of New Heights.
He told his older brother Jason: ‘Everything outside the building is just noise… (but) big game? When is 89 yards a big game? It was a solid game, a big game is like scoring a touchdown or something.
“I was responsible in this game, I didn’t have any falls, which is what happened in Atlanta to make me feel like I had a bad game.”
“I didn’t have a great game yet, there’s a lot that goes into having a great game, but I had seven catches, I mean a lot of times you get the rock and I go to it, so that’s what it is. I helped my team find a way to win and that’s the only thing that will matter.”
Monday night also puts Jason in a new place. It’s the first game involving his younger brother that he’s called since he retired and joined ESPN’s NFL coverage.
Jason himself was filmed arriving at the stadium shortly before ESPN went on the air and told the media that Travis was on the way.
“He’ll be here soon, otherwise Andy (Reid, the Chiefs head coach) might be a little upset,” he joked.
Kelce hosted his 35th birthday ‘car jam’ charity event on Saturday without Taylor Swift
Kelce showed signs of returning to his best in last Sunday’s win over the Chargers.
While Taylor couldn’t attend Kelce’s birthday over the weekend, Jason and his parents, Donna and Ed, joined Travis for his ‘Car Jam’ charity event that raised money for his 87 and Running Foundation.
And Kelce was caught on camera telling fans at the event that he was looking forward to Swift coming to Kansas City for the game.
The Chiefs, seeking a historic three-peat in the NFL, started the season 4-0 and a win tonight would join them with the Minnesota Vikings on an undefeated streak to start the campaign.
But Kelce’s struggle to return to full fitness has been an ominous sign for the rest of the league and a clear sign that an already winning team will get even better as the season progresses.