Travis Kelce has a net worth of $90M (according to celebrity net worth) and just signed a $54.7M contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, making him one of the most successful tight ends in the history of the game, but life wasn’t always as glamorous as it is for him now.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce
Jan 4, 2026; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) leaves the field after the game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
The Chiefs Tight End, who is preparing to get married to one of the biggest pop stars and artists, with a net worth of $2 billion, started his road to wealth like many of the usual Americans do, by picking up odd jobs while growing up.
During a recent episode of the “New Heights” podcast, Kelce spoke about a job he had as a telemarketer for Obamacare before he was drafted by the Chiefs and admitted that he wasn’t very good at his job.
Kelce revealed that he was “slinging surveys” for Obama, which drew heartwarming responses from the fans.
“Imagine being a Republican in southern Ohio in 2010 and getting a call from a 230lb college kid asking for your thoughts on Obamacare. No wonder Travis said he was the worst that’s basically an impossible sales mission.” one fan reacted.
“Telemarketing is the hardest job on earth, no wonder he’s so tough on the field. He probably used the same charm he used to get Taylor Swift just to get people to stay on the line for Obamacare surveys. He really revealed he’s been a hustler since day one.” another fan wrote.
“Travis Kelce was cold calling people about Obamacare and now he’s dating Taylor Swift. The glow up pipeline is actually insane.” another fan pointed out.
“Imagine hanging up on a telemarketer back in the day and it was actually Travis Kelce trying to conduct surveys for Obamacare. I would never forgive myself. From the call center to the Kansas City Chiefs, what a journey.” another fan added.
“This was my favorite part of the New Heights podcast episode! Listening to him talk about working in telemarketing before the league was hilarious. It just goes to show you before being drafted, even the GOATs had to deal with the 9-to-5 grind.” another fan shared their thoughts.
“Wow, that’s wild, Travis Kelce went from cold-calling people about Obamacare to dominating on the NFL field! Shows that even the greatest athletes have humble beginnings… and maybe a bit of patience from handling angry callers.” another fan highlighted.
Travis Kelce Credits Taylor Swift for 14th NFL Year Decision
Travis Kelce recently announced his decision to come back for another year to play with the Chiefs for his 14th straight season.
The news gave many fans a sigh of relief as many rumors of his potential retirement were swirling on the internet, with some analysts even suggesting the Chiefs let Kelce go.
While talking about his decision with Pat McAfee last week, Kelce credited his fiancée and said that the determination she shows in her work motivated him to come back.
Kelce revealed that he shares this aspect of life with Swift: loving what they do for work, and said they both have wanted to do what they are doing since they were little kids.
The Chiefs’ tight end shared that it was very motivating to see his partner get so much joy out of her craft, which made him remember his love for the game:
“We share the same love for what we do,” he told McAfee. “Fortunately, we’ve had this desire since we were kids in our selective professions. It’s amazing to see her keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new melodies and things like that, and on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does, and yeah, of course, that’s motivating.
“That’s motivating for anyone to see, let alone my fiancée, and knowing that I’m going through something where I’m trying to figure out exactly what the future holds for me, something like that definitely motivates me to say, You know what, I’m not done either.”
Kelce said. Kelce and Swift are reportedly gearing up for an offseason wedding in 2026.
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