The Chiefs QB adds that his teammate treats 'every person like they're his best friend.'
Travis Kelce may have seen a stratospheric rise in his public profile over the last year, but teammate Patrick Mahomes says it hasn't changed him. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback told sports media on Wednesday that his fun-loving buddy is still the same guy he's always been amid his newfound level of celebrity.
"Travis has always been Travis," Mahomes said in a press conference. "It's been cool to watch for me because he has all that attention but he's just been himself the whole time. He's still Travis Kelce. He still will walk through the stadium and treat every person like they're his best friend. And he's going to be like that in the locker room every single day. It hasn't been any different."
Following the Chiefs' 2023 Super Bowl victory, Travis scored a mainstream win when he landed a hosting gig on Saturday Night Live in March. Then, in September, his fame reached a new level as his romance with Taylor Swift became public.
"It was really, really cool,” Mahomes, 28, said of Kelce's SNL debut. "It was a dream of his. He knows all the skits from guys that were on Saturday Night Live. He was telling me the ones from before I was even born. I was like, 'Trav, I'm not the same age as you, I don't even know who that is.'"
Kelce and Swift, both 34, stepped out together in October for a surprise appearance at Studio 8H. Kelce made a one-line cameo in a skit about the NFL's coverage of his relationship with Swift, while the songstress delivered an introduction for a performance by her friend and "Karma" collaborator, Ice Spice.
Mahomes' comments come weeks after Kelce was asked about what his post-NFL career might look like. The star insisted that he has no plans to retire anytime soon, but credited Saturday Night Live with opening his eyes to his potential future.
"I have no reason to stop playing football," he said. "I love it, we still have success, come in with the right mindset. I just love the challenge that it gives me every single day to try and be my best. Like I said, I have no desire to stop anytime soon."
The decorated athlete went on to say, "The SNL stuff kinda opened up a new happiness and maybe a new career path for me, but it's funny for me to even say that at this point in my career because it's so much further down the road than it is right now."
For now, Kelce and Mahomes have their sights set on their upcoming AFC championship game against the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. The victor will go on to compete in the upcoming Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Meanwhile, Swift has been enjoying a newfound friendship with Mahomes' wife, Brittany Mahomes. In addition to attending several games together, the ladies have also been spotted out and about on numerous star-studded evenings in New York City.
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