Give Travis Kelce this: He knows he’s not the reason the NFL attracted more female viewers in 2023. 

‘Obviously, this is mostly because Taylor’s in my life now and we got her [to be] part of Chiefs Kingdom,’ the Kansas City tight end told Westwood One’s Laura Okmin of girlfriend Taylor Swift in a resurfaced interview. ‘And sure enough, that brought an entire entourage of human beings who just love to support her and love to support everything that she’s about.’

Kelce has come under fire for an apparent lack of self-awareness in the wake of last week’s parade shooting, when he was seen celebrating the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory as Kansas City was still reeling from a tragedy that left one dead and 22 wounded. He has since donated $100,000 to victims through a GoFundMe page.

But speaking before his third Super Bowl victory earlier this month, the 34-year-old tight end, podcaster and pitchman seemed far more conscious of his media impact.

Kelce admitted he was ‘very aware’ that his relationship with Swift has drawn a record number of female fans to the NFL. (According to Morning Consult, 64 percent of Gen Z and Millennial women now have a favorable few of the NFL – a record, according to the business analytics company)

Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) embraces Taylor Swift after Super Bowl LVIII

Taylor Swift wears a Travis Kelce puffer jacket before a January playoff game

While stressing that that he’s remained focus on football (a point he later bolstered with his third Super Bowl win), Kelce acknowledged that much of the attention he’s receiving has nothing to do with the game.

‘With that being said, I do, you know, have a guarded approach to it,’ Kelce said. ‘But at the same time, I know what me and Taylor have is special, so I get [the interest].’

And as with seemingly everything in Kelce’s life, he said his relationship with Swift has ‘been a fun ride,’ adding that it was ‘beautiful’ that dads are starting to bond with their girls over football.

Now Kelce heads into a long off-season, where it will be his turn to cheer on Swift from the sidelines.

The former All-Pro recently told his podcast listeners that he could ‘venture to an island real soon’ – an apparent reference to Swift’s ongoing tour in Australia (which is actually a continent and not really an ‘island’).