At 36 years old in 2025, Travis Kelce stands 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, earns a $17 million salary, and boasts a $90 million net worth. The Kansas City Chiefs tight end is now engaged to Taylor Swift after two electric years of dating. From college suspension to three-time Super Bowl champion and podcast king, Kelce’s story is the ultimate comeback.
Early Life & Ohio Roots
Born October 5, 1989, in Westlake, Ohio, Travis Michael Kelce grew up in a sports-obsessed family. His mom Donna worked in banking, dad Ed sold steel, and older brother Jason (now retired from the Eagles) was always the role model. The Kelce brothers share Croatian heritage on their mother’s side, something Travis proudly mentions on their podcast.
At Cleveland Heights High School he starred in football, basketball, and baseball. As a senior quarterback he threw for 2,539 total yards and ran for over 1,000 more. College at the University of Cincinnati started rough – a full-season suspension in 2010 for marijuana – but he came back stronger, finishing with 722 receiving yards in 2012 and earning All-Conference honors.
Height, Weight & Physical Dominance
Standing 6 feet 5 inches (1.96 m) and weighing 250 pounds (113 kg), Kelce is built differently. His 4.61 forty-yard dash at the 2013 Combine is still elite for a tight end. Long arms (33¾ inches) and huge hands (9⅝ inches) let him high-point balls that most defenders can only dream of touching.
Even at 36 he’s barely lost a step. He trimmed a few pounds in the 2024 off-season, crediting daily yoga and golf for keeping him explosive. Film from the 2025 season opener shows the same violent stiff-arm and sudden cuts that make linebackers look silly.
NFL Career & Salary Timeline
Drafted 63rd overall by the Chiefs in 2013, Kelce signed a four-year, $3.12 million rookie deal. A knee injury wiped out almost his entire first year, but by 2014 he was starting. The breakout came in 2016 – five-year, $46 million extension. In 2020 he signed a four-year, $57 million deal, then in 2024 rewrote history again with a two-year, $34.25 million extension that made him the highest-paid tight end ever.
Today his average annual salary is $17 million, and career earnings have crossed $150 million. He owns virtually every meaningful tight-end playoff record and has ten straight Pro Bowls (2015–2024).
Net Worth 2025: $90 Million and Climbing
Travis Kelce’s net worth in 2025 is $90 million. Football money is only part of it. Endorsements with Nike, State Farm, Pfizer, and Helzberg Diamonds bring in another $5–7 million per year. He co-owns Garage Beer with Jason, opened the 1587 Prime steakhouse in Kansas City with Patrick Mahomes, and dropped a sold-out American Eagle collection in August 2025.
His podcast New Heights with brother Jason won iHeartRadio’s Best Sports Podcast in March 2025 and regularly tops Spotify charts. Add acting roles in Ryan Murphy’s Grotesquerie and the upcoming Happy Gilmore 2, and you see why analysts predict he’ll hit nine figures before he hangs up the cleats.
Dating History & Engagement to Taylor Swift
Before Taylor, Kelce dated sports broadcaster Kayla Nicole on and off from 2017 to 2022. In 2016 he starred in the E! dating show Catching Kelce and briefly dated winner Maya Benberry.
Everything changed in July 2023 when he attended the Eras Tour and tried (and failed) to give Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number. She reached out weeks later. By September 2023 she was at Arrowhead, and “Traylor” became a global phenomenon. He joined her onstage at Wembley in June 2024, and in August 2025 Kelce proposed with a stunning Old Mine cut diamond ring. They’re now officially engaged and planning a 2026 wedding.
Complete Travis Kelce Biography Table (2025)
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Travis Michael Kelce |
| Age (2025) | 36 (born October 5, 1989) |
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) |
| Weight | 250 lb (113 kg) |
| Current Team | Kansas City Chiefs |
| Position | Tight End |
| NFL Draft | 2013 / Round 3 / Pick 63 |
| 2025 Salary | $17 million average |
| Net Worth 2025 | $90 million |
| Relationship Status | Engaged to Taylor Swift (August 2025) |
| Previous Relationships | Kayla Nicole (2017–2022), Maya Benberry (2016) |
| Super Bowl Rings | 3 (LIV, LVII, LVIII) |
| Pro Bowls | 10 consecutive (2015–2024) |
| Career Receptions | 1,019 (active leader among TEs) |
| Career Receiving Yards | 12,333 |
| Career Touchdowns | 78 |
| Podcast | New Heights (with Jason Kelce) |
| Business Ventures | Garage Beer, 1587 Prime steakhouse, American Eagle collab |
| Acting | Grotesquerie (FX), Happy Gilmore 2 (2025) |
| Philanthropy | Ignition Lab, $100K donation after 2024 parade shooting |
| Social Media | X: @tkelce | Instagram: @killatrav |
Why Travis Kelce Matters Beyond Football
Kelce and Swift boosted female NFL viewership by double digits and added hundreds of millions to the Chiefs’ brand value. His podcast brings fans raw, hilarious insight you won’t find on ESPN. And every off-season he’s back in Kansas City hosting youth camps and raising seven-figure checks for local kids.
At 36 he’s already talking legacy. “I want to be remembered as the guy who showed up, worked hard, and had a blast doing it,” he said on New Heights earlier this year. With three rings, a fiancée who sells out stadiums, and a business empire growing faster than his route tree, Travis Kelce is living proof that the best stories are the ones you write yourself.
