Travis Kelce is coming under fire from fans and sports analysts for his “jet-setting” new way of life and rise to fame while dating Taylor Swift. In a recent appearance on The Ryen Russillo Podcast, Todd McShay, former ESPN analyst, criticized Kelce’s performance during the September 22nd Kansas City Chiefs vs. Atlanta Falcons game. McShay, 47, slammed Kelce, 34, for four receptions for 30 yards.
“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?” McShay asked. “That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person probably in the entire world,” he went on, referencing Swift, 34.
Travis Kelce Faces Backlash For 'Jet-Setting' New Lifestyle With Taylor Swift And Not Playing Up To Analyst's Standards
To further prove his point, McShay mentioned the athlete and Grammy winner's weekend together in New York City earlier this month where they were seen "drinking" together and catching the US Open after the Chiefs played against the Baltimore Ravens. McShay harshly continued: "I want you to take a picture from preseason 2022 and then take a picture preseason 2024, they’re barely the same human being."
McShay also shot down claims that Kelce’s lack of production was due to defenses double-teaming him, which he argues has been happening throughout his whole career. "Here’s the thing, bottom line with Kelce: The coverage and the respect he gets is the same, the athlete is not," he added.
Despite his concerns about Kelce’s conditioning, McShay noted that the tight end is bound to bounce back at some point. "Now, is he going to work himself into shape during the season? Yeah, I’m sure he will," he said. "He’s an unbelievable competitor, he’s one of the best to ever do it and he still finds a way to make a play or two here and there and shows up in some clutch moments, but he’s not the same guy right now."
McShay also noted: "I don’t see the same explosiveness, I see him wearing down a little bit in games, it’s OK, he’ll work himself back into shape, it’s not the first guy ever whose not quite in the elite shape that he was." The Super Bowl champion and the "Cruel Summer" hitmaker have been romantically linked since September 2023.
While some fans seem to agree with McShay's comments on X (formerly Twitter) lately, others recently came to Kelce's defense. "The way other players are caught up in cheating dramas, gets arrested, gets into fights, get side pieces pregnant… but the guy with a supporting gf going to concerts and spending time on a tv-set is the one distracted. Yeah that sounds correct and not at all like jealousy," one wrote.
Another recently tweeted: "The jealousy towards this man, they cannot accept that he is amazing at what he does and that he will have a future outside of football." Someone else quipped: "One of these men has a job within a major US sports company, the other doesn’t." Kelce and Swift, however, have yet to respond to McShay's words.
