Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is back on the practice field at Missouri Western State University for what marks his 14th training camp.
After tying the knot with Taylor Swift in the wedding of the century this summer, the veteran tight end is now focused on the 2026 NFL season.
Donna Kelce, the Chiefs star’s mother, told People of his preparation in May, “He always goes into his own routine with training, and it’s brutal. Then he goes to actual training camp. He has to get ready before he goes to training camp. It’s a long process. It’s months to get ready.”
While the 36-year-old prepares for what looks to be his final year in the NFL, he also debuted a new look at practice on Monday.
Chiefs TE Travis Kelce’s New Mustache Drew Mixed Reactions From Fans
The Chiefs posted on August 3, “It’s not training camp without El Travador 🥸,” showing off the veteran’s new facial hair. He looked quite different from when he first arrived at camp last week.
Even though Kelce has made it a tradition to shave his beard at training camp, the look always causes a stir. A Swiftie posted on X, “oh he kept it demure and left a little of the beard, thank you tayjesus.”
One man posted, “This is how 23-year olds look in photos of the NFL from the 1970s.” Other users online couldn’t help but complain that this wasn’t exactly a flattering photo of Kelce. One fan asked, “Serious question, wasn’t there a better photo to post???? 😬🤦🏻♀️” Even former Chiefs star Mitchell Schwartz posted, “More like El Sad Travis. Come on find a happy photo!”
One person added, “That’s the first picture I’ve seen of him where he actually looks a little old 😭.” Another account wrote, “Papa looking like papa. 🤣.”
Some fans noted that after Kelce didn’t do the ‘stache last year, that might’ve been bad luck. One woman posted, “I’m ALLLLL for it 👏 last year he didn’t shave it and they didn’t make the playoffs soooo.”
Travis Kelce’s Mustache Is a Nod to Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid
GettyTravis Kelce’s training camp facial hair is inspired by Chiefs head coach Andy Reid.
However, it’s tradition for Kelce to grow the mustache, and it’s an ode to the only head coach he’s had in the NFL. “I grow out the stache every training camp — or at least I have the past three or four years since we’ve been making these title runs in honor of coach Andy Reid,” he explained to People in 2024. “He is the walrus!
“He’s got that thing looking beautiful every single day,” Kelce continued. “It wasn’t just me, a couple of the offensive linemen and a couple of the skill players on the offense all did it the first year.”
Based on a recent video shared by the Chiefs’ social team on August 3, numerous other players also keep the mustache tradition alive during training camp.
Travis Kelce’s Sudden Change in Appearance Causes a Stir at Training Camp