Travis Kelce is seemingly having the time of his life. The Kansas City tight end not only helped bring the Chiefs all the way to the Super Bowl last year, but he is embarking on a new adventure outside of football: an acting career. He played a role in the Ryan Murphy show Grotesquerie, and a cameo in Happy Gilmore 2, and has expressed interest in doing more following his football career. Now, ahead of the 2025-2026 NFL season, Kelce is gracing the cover of a major magazine, and participated in a fun photoshoot that included furs, alligators, and boating in South Florida. And I’m kind of obsessed with it.
Kelce was the subject of a recent profile by GQ, where the 35-year old chatted about his upcoming football season, potential post-NFL endeavors, and his high-profile relationship with Taylor Swift. Kelce was candid in his interview, and Swifties are swooning over his adoring comments about his partner in the article, however, I’m also incredibly focused on this crazy photo shoot, which has the football star in a number of crazy, ostentatious outfits that make him look like the king of the Everglades. You can see a clip from the photoshoot from Instagram below:
In the pictures that made the final cut for the cover shoot, Kelce can be seen flying through the air on shoe geysers on the water, and wearing a large fur suit with a hood. Additional photos show him shirtless with a leather jacket in the forest, wearing a fur hat with a Hermès Birkin bag in a bog, and even one with a python in a tree. My favorite is personally of him excitedly holding an alligator in the same bog he had the Birkin in. It is completely different from a lot of traditional GQ shoots that traditionally feature tailored menswear, suits, and luxury backdrops.
It’s a certainly louder photoshoot for a cover, and if anyone would be game, it's Travis Kelce, who has had a history of being bold with his style. This is the same guy that confidently wore a suit to the Kentucky Derby that made him look like a 1920s crooner, and also wore a flashy bucket hat to accompany the most famous woman on the planet to a tennis match. Kelce lives out loud, and his fashion choices mirror this. There was nothing more fitting than a wild photo shoot to suit the football star’s eccentric personality, and down-to-earth reputation.
And if you’re gonna go for it, these images that invoke a south-east, blue collar Americana image are perfect and unique. Kelce feels like the antithesis of a traditional, Hollywood male subject of a menswear magazine, and the photoshoot fits that. Kelce was born and raised in the midwest, with a traditional, down to earth upbringing who rose to fame due to his success as a football star. He is funny, goofy, and earnest, something rare in the modern day entertainment industry. This photoshoot allows him to embrace these qualities about himself, and I’m absolutely loving it.
When Travis Kelce isn’t gracing the cover of GQ, you can see him make his scripted show debut in FX’s Grotesquerie, which is currently streaming with a Hulu subscription. Kelce is also expected to return as tight end for the upcoming Kansas City Chiefs football season, so sports fans have a lot to look forward to. You can also check out his New Heights podcast with his brother, Jason Kelce, which is streaming now on Spotify.
