Travis Kelce has said he wants to be a member of the Kanas City Chiefs for life. However, the future Hall of Fame tight end and boyfriend of Taylor Swift recently revealed on his New Heights podcast that the only way he would consider playing for another franchise is if the NFL put a team in London, England.
“I’m waiting for that team [in London] to play for another team other than the Chiefs,” Travis told his brother Jason on their podcast. “That’s the only situation is if I get to play abroad.”
When Jason asked how long Travis thought it would be before the NFL put a team across the pond, the KC TE predicted it would be relatively soon.
“Less than ten years,” Travis said. “I don’t know for a fact it’s London, but I think the teams — the NFL will get there.”
Travis Kelce’s prediction comes as he, Jason, and other friends and family traveled to the English capital to watch Swift perform her Eras Tour in one of her adopted hometowns.
In addition to watching a concert — and going on stage with his girlfriend for the first time — Travis has performed in London before. The Chiefs took on the Lions at Wembley Stadium in 2015, flying home with a 45-10 win. In that game, Kelce had six catches for 49 yards and a touchdown.
NFL international expansion
It’s no secret that the NFL wants to expand American football beyond the borders of the United States. The league has now played games in Canada, Mexico, Germany, Brazil, and of course, England.
Putting games abroad is one thing, but the next step to making this type of football a truly worldwide game is to put a full-time team in one of these places, as Travis Kelce predicts.
Canada would be the easiest location, as the NHL and NBA have had teams located in our neighbors to the north’s country for years. However, since a group led by (pre-president) Donald Trump and rocker Jon Bon Jovi tried to buy the Buffalo Bills and move them to Toronto, there hasn’t been much talk of that.
Mexico is a closer option and Brazil makes sense as far as time zones, but the economies, safety, and language barrier in those countries make them longshots to be the first foreign country to get an NFL franchise.
Germany is the other place where fans seem to love the American game, but once again English is not the primary language there and it is two hours further by plane than England.
That leaves London as the most likely destination for an NFL team. There are still some travel issues. The flight time from NYC to London is essentially the same as it is from New York to Los Angeles, but it is a 10-plus-hour flight from LAX to Heathrow.
Still, the languages match up and the culture is fairly similar to the U.S., which would make the transition easier for U.S.-born players.
Now, the biggest hurdle may be getting a team there fast enough for the 34-year-old Travis Kelce to play there and the expansion franchise can get that magical Taylor Swift bump.
Follow Us
Subscribe
