Travis Kelce‘s teammate was a lifeline for Taylor Swift after the shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl parade in 2024.
In a column published by the Kansas City Star on Friday, January 9, running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire reflected on his bond with Kelce, 36, both on and off the field.
“[He’s] somebody who will genuinely look out for you to the end … Not as Travis Kelce your teammate, but as Travis, my big brother,” the 26-year-old said.
The close friendship has even extended to their significant others, including Swift, 36, who has become a fixture at Chiefs games since her romance with Kelce began in 2023.
When the Chiefs celebrated their Super Bowl victory over the San Francisco 49ers with a parade in February 2024, the festivities were cut short by a mass shooting that left one dead and 22 injured. Swift was on tour in Australia at the time, with her security team waking her up in the middle of the night after the news broke.
According to the Star, Kelce was “quite overserved,” so he gave his phone to Edwards-Helaire, who “comforted” the pop star by reassuring her Kelce wasn’t hurt.
Clyde Edwards-Helaire Jason Davis/Getty Images for Hallmark Media
Swift later returned Edwards-Helaire’s act of kindness with one of her own that summer. Though she was unable to attend Edwards-Helaire’s wedding to wife JoJo due to her busy Eras Tour schedule, Swift made sure Kelce would be there, flying him back to the U.S. from across the pond in the U.K.
“It was one of those things where she understood the relationship, she knows where everything stands,” Edwards-Helaire recalled.
Edwards-Helaire’s glowing words come as questions swirl about Kelce’s NFL future after 13 seasons with the Chiefs, who missed out on the playoffs for the first time in more than 10 years.
Following the team’s final game of the regular season — a 14-12 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, January 4 — Kelce spoke candidly about his plans for the offseason.
“[I’ll be] trying to figure out what I’m gonna do next in terms of my future in football,” he said on the Wednesday, January 7, episode of his “New Heights” podcast. “I’ve talked to a few people in the facility already, having the exit meetings and everything, they know where I stand, at least right now. There’s a lot of love for the game that’s still there, and I don’t think I’ll ever lose that.”
Kelce added that he was looking forward to “being a regular human” for the next few months. “It’s a tough thing to navigate, but at the same time, I think if my body can heal up and rest up and I can feel confident that I can go out there and give it another 18, 20, 21-week run, I think I would do it in a heartbeat,” he continued. “I think right now it’s just finding that answer and seeing how the body feels after this game and when it all settles down.”
While his official decision remains up in the air, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that “discussions are well underway” between Kelce and Netflix for a potential role as a broadcast sports correspondent. (Netflix had no comment when reached by Us.)
A second source noted that the tight end “has had talks with his team about retiring and not playing football next season,” including about what could be next for his career if he doesn’t return to the Chiefs.
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