Kelce on SB loss: 'Thrown that thing in the trash'

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. -- At this point in his career, Travis Kelce knows each new season in the NFL is a different one from previous years. Kelce, the future Hall of Famer, is the Chiefs' longest-tenured player. During his news conference Wednesday following the team's practice, Kelce asked reporters a question: "What is this, my 13th year now?"

Once told he was correct, Kelce revealed that his mindset for the Chiefs' 2025 campaign is somewhat different from last year, in part because that is required for him and the team to produce another postseason run that hopefully ends with another trip to the Super Bowl -- and a different outcome from last season.

"I've thrown that thing in the trash," Kelce said of the Chiefs' blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. "I've moved on. It happened sooner than you can imagine. I was pretty focused on this year in the offseason."

A year ago, Kelce entered training camp after spending much of the 2024 summer gallivanting across Europe with girlfriend Taylor Swift while being an encouraging presence at many stops on her Eras Tour. This year, several of the Chiefs have acknowledged that Kelce entered camp slimmer and energized, although the tight end didn't share how much weight he shedding before the team began practicing.

"He's svelte right now. He looks like he's 20," a grinning coach Andy Reid said two weeks ago. "He's doing a good job and he's in great shape. I'm not sure he didn't come in first on the whole conditioning thing. He was right up front. You can see he's been working out. He's worked hard to get to this spot."

Once again, Kelce has been one of the Chiefs' most diligent players throughout camp. He hasn't missed a single practice and has made several athletic catches in the middle of the field, whether in team periods or the 7-on-7 drill. Even when Kelce, who will turn 36 in October, has shown fatigue after certain repetitions, he has remained on the field to run more routes for quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

"You've got to go through the dog days and enjoy it for what it is, man," Kelce said, smiling. "We're rocking and rolling, man. It's training camp, so you're going to feel the soreness and the heavy workload you're getting every day. You've got to enjoy it for what it is and fight through that."

Back to living in a dorm room again, Kelce said what has remained from a year ago -- and all the years prior -- is how the campus of Missouri Western State University is still his football sanctuary.

"I love it here," Kelce said, smiling again. "It gets me away from everything else that's going on in this crazy world. You can really just focus in on your craft and focus in on being the best you can for the guys around you, man.

"Football has always been the biggest driving force I've ever had. I love coming out here and focusing on this and getting better for another run at hopefully a Super Bowl."