Drinking from a golden bottle of champagne, Travis Kelce led a raucous rendition of “We Are The Champions” in the Kansas City Chiefs locker room as he celebrated his fairytale ending to an NFL season unlike any other.
Moments earlier, Kelce told reporters he felt “on top of the world” after winning his second straight Super Bowl and celebrating by kissing his girlfriend Taylor Swift on the field. The singer had flown back from Japan to Las Vegas and four consecutive Eras Tour shows, the last of which was Saturday night, to cheer him on.
She was joined in the VIP suite — which Kelce apparently paid $1 million for — by Blake Lively, rapper Ice Spice, parents Andrea and Scott, and Kelce’s family. Together they endured the tension of one of the most dramatic Super Bowls in history as the Chiefs recorded a thrilling 25-22 victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
But as Kelce, 34, was pictured leading the festivities in Sin City as his teammates passed around cigars, one couldn’t forget how he was almost the villain of the piece when things didn’t go his team’s way in the first half in a thunderous sound. Allegiant Stadium.
As the Chiefs offense sputtered, Kelce was called off the field on a play by head coach Andy Reid, but with the end zone in sight, wide receiver Isiah Pacheco made a rare fumble and the 49ers regained possession.
Travis Kelce took center stage at the Chiefs’ locker room party after winning the Super Bowl
The Chiefs star was even spotted drinking from what appeared to be a gold bottle of champagne
Kelce said he felt “on top of the world” as he celebrated on the court in Vegas with Taylor Swift
And Kelce appeared to celebrate with his team after the game
Kelce and Swift kissed on the field after she flew back from Japan to cheer him on
Kelce imagined himself returning to the Chiefs locker room after a harrowing Super Bowl
Still, Kelce could have been the bad guy when he shoved his coach Andy Reid, 65, in the first half.
It caused a wild and angry reaction from Kelce, who stormed over to his coach Reid, 65, and shoved him while yelling in his face. Reid, caught off guard, nearly tripped before Kelce was led away by teammate Jerick McKinnon.
Things looked bad for Kelce, who has the form for this sort of thing. When the Chiefs slumped to a Christmas Day loss to the Las Vegas Radiers in Kansas City, Kelce appeared to pick up the ship on Reid’s shoulders moments after slamming his helmet on the ground.
In the first half, Kelce had, by his own admission, played like “a jabroni,” taking one catch for one yard. His team went into the break trailing by seven points.
But he returned to his electrifying best in the second and as the game moved into overtime, Kelce finished with nine receptions for 93 yards. With 16 seconds left and the Chiefs trailing by three, Kelce surged forward on a blistering 22-yard run to get his team within comfortable field goal range to guarantee overtime.
His final catch set up the winning touchdown, with the imperious Patrick Mahomes finding Mecole Hardman to win the game. It made the Chiefs the first team to win consecutive Super Bowls since Tom Brady’s New England Patriots in 2003 and 2004.
Then Kelce threw down the gauntlet for his team to compete for a three-peat next year – a feat never before accomplished in the NFL.
Speaking from the podium as the Chiefs collected the Super Bowl trophy, Kelce told the crowd, “We get a chance to do it three times in a row. I’ll see you all next year.’
As for the clash with Reid, Kelce was keen to downplay the incident.
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes leaves the field after an all-time great performance
After winning his third Super Bowl, Mahomes took a moment to reflect on his latest achievement
Kelce (second from left) and Reid celebrate after the Chiefs won in overtime
After the win, Kelce immediately talked about returning and pursuing a ‘three-peat’
“Ah, did you see that?” Kelce told CBS. ‘I’ll keep that between us. I was just telling him how much I love him.”
It was a sentiment Kelce reaffirmed during his post-game media conference when reporters asked him about Reid.
“I have the best coach this game has ever seen,” he said. “He’s incredible and not just in preparing everyone. One of the best men’s leaders I have ever seen in my life.
“He helped me a lot with channeling that emotion, channeling that passion and I owe my whole career to that and how to control how emotional I get. I just love him.’
Reid was just as eager to bury the hatchet with Kelce, telling CBS, “He keeps me young. He tested that hip. He knocked me off balance. Normally I get him a little bit, but I had no feet under me.’
Kelce and Mahomes were soon filmed leaving Allegiant Stadium, where they are expected to party into the night in Vegas.
“On top of the world right now, baby,” Kelce told reporters. “It’s a good feeling.”
Jerick McKinnon (No. 1) poses with a cigar next to Skyy Moore in the locker room
Kelce returns to Kansas City for the team’s victory parade, while Swift’s schedule from here is unclear: She begins a tour of Australia next weekend in Melbourne.
But the scenes on the court in Vegas would hardly have been believable when the season started in September and Swift and Kelce’s relationship was still a secret.
They went public during a Chiefs game on September 24 when Kelce led his team to an impressive 41-10 victory over the Chicago Bears at Arrowhead Stadium.
Back then, in the blazing Kansas City sun, there was bold and imaginative talk about Kelce winning the Super Bowl again, with the biggest star in the world cheering him on.
And yet now he has done it. A three-peat next time? With Mahomes next to him, a coach who embraces his flaws and his prodigious talent and life off the court and goes from strength to strength with Swift, it’s brave to bet against Kelce.