Over the course of his time with the Kansas City Chiefs, tight end Travis Kelce has had an incredible year. The Chiefs play the Miami Dolphins in an NFL wildcard game, which will mark the beginning of Kelce’s journey to the next Super Bowl. Travis Kelce will be wearing his normal number 87 shirt; nevertheless, the question that has to be answered is—why does he wear that number?
Additionally, just like his fiancée Taylor Swift, who is well-known for incorporating references and Easter eggs into the lyrics of her songs, Kelce’s jersey number carries a very personal significance while he is wearing it out on the field.
In the days leading up to the Super Bowl in 2023, Kelce said that the number he chose for his jersey was a deliberate choice made in order to pay homage to his brother, Jason Kelce, who is an offensive lineman with the Philadelphia Eagles.
“If there is a Kelce legacy, two brothers making it to the NFL, it all started in 1987, because this big guy was born in 1987,” Travis explained to NFL Films. The response that Jason gave was that it was “very cool” to be acknowledged in such a manner.
Some fans referred to the Super Bowl final of 2023 as the “Kelce Bowl.” This was the first time in the history of the National Football League (NFL) that two brothers had competed against each other in a championship game. The personal tale that connected the two teams increased the level of excitement for the event.
It is said that Jason accepted the news in stride and told Travis, “Fuck you, congratulations” as soon as the game was over. The Chiefs emerged victorious, which resulted in Travis receiving one more Super Bowl ring. In addition to maintaining their tight relationship outside of football, the brothers also create a weekly podcast together called New Heights. In this podcast, they discuss the gameplay from the previous week as well as various topics related to life and family.