National Football League

Jason Kelce's wife wasn't a fan of his shirtless celebration, but Taylor Swift was

Updated Jan. 24, 2024 12:57 p.m. ET

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Travis Kelce scored two touchdowns in the Chiefs' 27-24 win over the Bills in their divisional-round matchup, but it was his brother who stole the show on Sunday in Buffalo.

Jason Kelce tailgated with Bills Mafia prior to the game, then went viral for his celebration in the Keklce family suite after his brother's first touchdown. When Travis scored in the second quarter, Jason took off his shirt, opened the suite window and puffed his chest out, braving the below-freezing temperature. Kelce continued the celebration by hopping out of the suite and into the bleachers with fans watching Sunday's game at Highmark Stadium. 

While many enjoyed the Eagles center's antics, not everyone was a fan. The elder Kelce brother shared on the most recent episode of the "New Heights" podcast that his wife, Kylie, wasn't too happy about it, especially because of who was in the suite with them.  

"I gave Kylie a heads-up the moment we got into the suite," Kelce said. "I said, ‘I'm taking my shirt off and I'm jumping out of the suite.' And she said, ‘Jason, don't you dare.' … And she was already telling me to be on my best behavior because we were meeting Taylor [Swift]. So, she's like, ‘Be on your best behavior.' 

"I was like, ‘Kylie, the first day I met you, I was blacked out drunk at the bar. This is part of the charm. This is part of the Jason Kelce charm. I want to make my best first impression. This is my best chance.'"

Travis said that Swift, his girlfriend, "absolutely loved" his brother and his celebration, but didn't share too much outside of that. Jason said he had planned to take his shirt off well before he got into the stadium, saying he had two Yeti shirts, but he isn't sure what happened to them.

"I wanted to take my shirt off at the tailgate, and because we kind of got pushed back on the tailgate front, I didn't get to have my shirt off out there," he said. "When I entered the box, I noticed, 'Hey, I can jump out of the box and I'll be outside. And if I take my shirt off, then I'm outside and I'm part of the Buffalo Bills pageantry.'"

Jason said he felt he had to take his shirt off at some point because of the "magic" of Bills Mafia.

"It is electric," he said. "Everybody's energy, the shenanigans. And I'm like, ‘I've got to have my shirt off at some point and I didn't get to do it beforehand.' And I'm like, 'OK, well, I guess I can't just take my shirt off in the box. Like, who takes their shirt off in a box? It's heated — like you're not really doing it.'

"So, I was like, 'Here's what I'm going to do: I'm taking my shirt off and I'm jumping out of this box, so then I'm out of the box and I have my shirt off. Then, I can be like my Buffalo Bills Mafia compadres.' This is how my mind works after 40 Miller Lites."

Kelce said that the celebration was met with mixed reactions from Bills fans, saying he heard "a lot" of boos and cheers. The celebration almost caused some harm though. 

"I'll tell you what, jumped out of that box and I forgot that I've been dealing with an MCL sprain," Kelce said. "The moment I landed, my right foot and my knee twisted. But luckily it's good. It's good. Forgot that knee was a little loose."

Jason's mounting injuries are one reason why retirement rumors are swirling around him. But Travis stressed that his brother's celebration at Sunday's game isn't any indication that he plans to retire. 

"Former teammate Chris Long also tweeted, ‘Some people see this and think he must be retiring, but this is just regular Kelce,' which is 100 percent true," Travis said. "Jason has been doing this kind of stuff for years upon years. He just loves the game of football. He loves the atmosphere, especially when you put him with a whole bunch of nutcases that love it just as much as he does."

Jason said he wanted to attend Sunday's game after the "grueling" Eagles season. The team lost five of its final six regular-season games before a first-round exit in the playoff. He also noted that it was the first time he had been able to watch Travis play as a fan in two years. 

Jason noted that he connected with former Bills Ryan Fitzpatrick and Eric Wood ahead of the game to find out the best place to tailgate and which bars to go to. Their suggestions didn't disappoint Kelce, who said he had a good time in Buffalo.

"It was incredible," he said. "I mean, honestly, one of the most fun experiences I've ever had from start to finish. It was the Buffalo Bills mafia. It's incredible. We haven't been to a lot of tailgates. The only tailgate I've been to is at Arrowhead. Great tailgate. But I mean, daggum man, it was an electric atmosphere with the Bills."

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