Travis Kelce's Bye Week Plans Aren't a Problem, Even if Your Gut Says So

At the risk of painting with a broad brush, sports fans would consider it a dream opportunity to suit up for their favorite team. That gives them a unique perspective on effort. If you'd give anything to play a single down, how could these athletes earning millions of dollars mail it in?

Travis Kelce isn't slacking off during Kansas City Chiefs games, but the tight end could run afoul of that same reality.

As you may have heard, the tight end reportedly has some specific plans for his bye week. And while football fandom may push you to feel like jetting to South America is a problem, don't fall into the trap.

Kelce, like any of us, is entitled to a bit of time off.

Kelce Is Reportedly Joining Up With Taylor Swift

For better or worse, Kelce's connection to Taylor Swift has been one of the storylines of the 2023 NFL season. And if you were hoping that the Chiefs' bye week would let things calm down, it doesn't seem like that will be the case.

Earlier this year, rumors started circulating that No. 87 would use his week off to join Swift on the international leg of her tour. Now that the time in question has arrived, it seems like the plan is coming to fruition.

On the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce suggested that he wanted to "get this body right." While that's not notable, he also teased that he could go somewhere sunny and "closer to the equator."

And while you could suggest that the brothers are just playing along with the storyline, multiple outlets have since reported that the Chiefs star is in fact heading south to join Swift.

Newsweek has reached out to Kelce's representation regarding his bye week plans.

Kelce's Plans, on the Whole, Aren't Anyone's Problem

While the fallout from Kelce's reported trip hasn't started yet, it's not beyond the realm of possibility.

We've seen Shannon Sharpe, for example, criticize the tight end's choice to attend the World Series ahead of the Chiefs' loss in Denver. And at the risk of bringing another team into the mix, Jets QB Zach Wilson was criticized on sports radio for going apple-picking during his bye week.

Who's to say that, with KC's biggest game of the year looming at the end of the bye week, talking heads and fans alike won't suggest that No. 87 should have stayed home and focused on football.

Again, sports bring out all sorts of emotions, and fans want to see players who feel the same passion for the team that they do. But, at the same time, that doesn't mean we can completely brush logic aside.

First, let's consider the logistics of Kelce potentially flying south and joining up with Swift. While we're conditioned to think that travel, especially across long distances, is a drag, the tight end won't exactly be flying coach and lugging a heavy suitcase around for hours on end. Is a lengthy flight the ideal way to recover? Probably not, but his travel experience is much less exhausting than your average traveler's.

It's also worth noting that Swift's South American engagements take place in smaller chunks. Based on how the dates fall, it's logical to assume that Kelce will, at most, be present through November 11. The next show takes place on Friday, November 17, and that's too close to gameday for even the most relaxed players and coaches.

So, if we assume that November 11 is Kelce's final concert, that would give him plenty of time to return to KC before Thursday, November 16, (the Chiefs play on Monday night, which usually means the first practice of the week takes place on Thursday). Could the team ask the players to return for off-field work a bit sooner? Would fans ideally like the Chiefs to do a bit of extra study ahead of their date with the Eagles? Sure, but it's not unreasonable for players to enjoy their time off, provided they report to work when they're supposed to. And Kelce would appear to have the cushion to do so.

And, on the subject of time off, vacations have been found to have a positive impact on those who take them. If you're a Chiefs fan, wouldn't you want Kelce to be fresh and fired up when Monday Night Football rolls around?

For another perspective, let's consider the potential downsides of Kelce's trip. At the risk of painting with a broad brush, the theoretical fear is that he's not taking football seriously enough and that distraction will, in turn, affect his performance.

Working in reverse order, the tight end has posted all sorts of performances this season. He's played excellently when Swift (a theoretical distraction) was in the building and fallen flat in Germany when the pop star wasn't even on the same continent. Does the latter outing mean that he did something wrong in the lead-up to the game? Or did he simply have a bad afternoon against a tough defense, which was specifically scheming to keep him quiet?

And on the subject of taking things seriously, this is Travis Kelce we're talking about. He had a reality show in 2016, has hosted Saturday Night Live, has a successful podcast and, among other things, called the mayor of Cincinnati a "jabroni" on national TV. If occupying the spotlight caused him a problem, we would have known it by now. His mother has even spoken about how challenges push the tight end to be his best.

That's not to say we should roll out the red carpet for No. 87 and allow him to do whatever he wants, whenever he wants to. If he was spotted in the club in the wee hours of Sunday morning ahead of a 1 p.m. game, that would be different. This, however, is a bye week. He's presumably run everything by his boss (Andy Reid) and got the go-ahead.

On a final note, try putting yourself in Kelce's shoes. You're an elite-level performer and have been a key part of your company's success. There's a big project due in two weeks, and everyone has a week off before the final push. Some employees want to put in a bit of extra work. Others choose to stay home and put their feet up. You want to travel to visit someone who's important to you.

Would you want to be judged for that? Or, as long as you're back on Monday morning and ready to work, should everyone else mind their own business?

You'd probably want everyone to trust you, right?

Then maybe we can give Travis Kelce that same benefit of the doubt.