During a May 14 recording of the “New Heights” podcast, Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce and his elder brother, former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, found themselves bantering over a trivia question about NFL journeymen Andrew Whitworth and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
What began as innocent sports talk quickly veered into pop-culture territory when Travis quipped that the pair’s combined total of teams played for must be 13, a number famously associated with Taylor Swift.
Travis immediately laughed off his own guess, correcting himself to “might be 15,” but Jason refused to let him off the hook. “If it was 13, that’s a lucky number.”
Travis shot back, saying Jason “tricked me into saying 13,” before admitting with a grin that it was “a good number.”
Oh these 13 crumbs 🤗 pic.twitter.com/kDhp6IkLaj
— 🏈👑 | fan acct. (@TayvisHaze) May 14, 2025
As fans know all too well, Swift’s affinity for the number 13 dates back decades, and its sudden appearance during a football podcast was enough to send social feeds into a frenzy.
Travis’s romance with Swift burst into the headlines when she attended his Chiefs game in September 2023, and she has since become a regular fixture at Arrowhead Stadium, drawing even more eyes to every Chiefs outing.
Travis, now entering his 13th professional season, has amassed three Super Bowl rings and established himself as one of the most prolific tight ends in league history.
He holds the record for most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons by a tight end (seven) and most career postseason receiving yards (2,039) and touchdowns by a tight end (20).
His off-field persona. partly shaped by his high-profile relationship with Swift, has made him a crossover star beyond football.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and his brother Jason Kelce. Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images
Over a 13-year career in Philadelphia, he earned a reputation as the Eagles’ iron-man center, starting 193 consecutive games and anchoring the offensive line that propelled Philadelphia to its first Super Bowl victory in franchise history.
He collected seven Pro Bowl nods and six First-Team All-Pro honors before retiring in March 2024.
