Taylor Swift misses Chiefs season finale as Travis Kelce faces retirement speculation

Taylor Swift did not attend the Kansas City Chiefs’ game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, prompting renewed discussion about Travis Kelce’s future as the 2025 NFL season concluded.

Swift, who has been a regular presence at Chiefs games over the past two seasons, was not publicly seen at Allegiant Stadium as Kansas City lost what could be Kelce’s final regular-season appearance.

The Chiefs had already been eliminated from playoff contention weeks earlier following a loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on December 14. With speculation surrounding Kelce’s potential retirement growing, Swift’s absence led fans to question whether the decision reflected awareness of developments yet to be announced.

There are practical explanations for her absence. Swift has reportedly limited her attendance at away games because of security considerations, instead appearing more frequently at home games at Arrowhead Stadium. Her most recent public appearance came on Christmas Day during the Chiefs’ loss to the Denver Broncos, shortly after attending the December 18 matchup against the Chargers.

Kelce, 36, has not confirmed plans to retire but has addressed the end of the season publicly. On the December 17 episode of his New Heights podcast, he said, “Chiefs Kingdom, we’re gonna give you everything we got.” After the Christmas Day loss, he added, “I’ll let that be a decision that I make with my family, friends, the Chiefs organization when the time comes.”

Swift also experienced a separate chart shift this week following the Stranger Things finale, which sent Joe Keery’s End of Beginning to number one on Spotify, ending Swift’s 78-day run at the top with The Fate of Ophelia. Keery previously recalled Swift telling him, “Hey, I really love that track of yours, ‘End Of Beginning.’”