Give Travis Kelce this: He knows he’s not the reason the NFL attracted more female viewers in 2023.

‘Obviously, this is mostly because Taylor’s in my life now and we got her [to be] part of Chiefs Kingdom,’ the Kansas City tight end told Westwood One’s Laura Okmin of girlfriend Taylor Swift in a resurfaced interview. ‘And sure enough, that brought an entire entourage of human beings who just love to support her and love to support everything that she’s about.’

Kelce has come under fire for an apparent lack of self-awareness in the wake of last week’s parade shooting, when he was seen celebrating the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory as Kansas City was still reeling from a tragedy that left one dead and 22 wounded. He has since donated $100,000 to victims through a GoFundMe page.

But speaking before his third Super Bowl victory earlier this month, the 34-year-old tight end, podcaster and pitchman seemed far more conscious of his media impact.

Kelce admitted he was ‘very aware’ that his relationship with Swift has drawn a record number of female fans to the NFL. (According to Morning Consult, 64 percent of Gen Z and Millennial women now have a favorable few of the NFL – a record, according to the business analytics company)

While stressing that that he’s remained focus on football (a point he later bolstered with his third Super Bowl win), Kelce acknowledged that much of the attention he’s receiving has nothing to do with the game.

‘With that being said, I do, you know, have a guarded approach to it,’ Kelce said. ‘But at the same time, I know what me and Taylor have is special, so I get [the interest].’

And as with seemingly everything in Kelce’s life, he said his relationship with Swift has ‘been a fun ride,’ adding that it was ‘beautiful’ that dads are starting to bond with their girls over football.

Now Kelce heads into a long off-season, where it will be his turn to cheer on Swift from the sidelines.

The former All-Pro recently told his podcast listeners that he could ‘venture to an island real soon’ – an apparent reference to Swift’s ongoing tour in Australia (which is actually a continent and not really an ‘island’).

Taylor Swift will be at the 2024 Grammys in Los Angeles on Sunday, but those hoping for a Swift and Travis Kelce red carpet debut will be disappointed. Kelce will not be joining Swift at the February 4 ceremony, TMZ reported on January 30.

Multiple sources told the outlet that Kelce will be arriving in Las Vegas that night, where he will be playing in the Super Bowl the following Sunday, February 11. The outlet wrote that Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs “will be on a strict schedule ahead of squaring up to the 49ers” for the big game.

The sources reiterated that there is “no chance” that Kelce will hop from Vegas to nearby Los Angeles to be with Swift at the awards show. Work comes first, very understandably in this case.

Swift is up for six awards at the Grammys and will not be able to stay in the area too long after. She is due to resume her Eras Tour in Tokyo on February 7. She will play from the 7th to the 10th before immediately leaving after her last Japan show to get to Las Vegas for Kelce’s big game.