Exclusive: Super Bowl winner Mitch Schwartz on Travis Kelce’s bachelor party and retirement rumors

Mitch Schwartz led an esteemed NFL career; winning Super Bowl LIV with the Kansas City Chiefs and never missing a snap for 121 consecutive games, until injury ravaged the end of his playing days.

Best-known for protecting Patrick Mahomes, one of the NFL’s greatest assets, Schwartz started his career with the California Golden Bears, before drafting to the Cleveland Browns in 2012 as a second-round pick.

He moved to Kansas City in 2016; enjoying four stellar years in Missouri. He struck up a working relationship and subsequent friendship with Travis Kelce.

Speaking about Kelce’s rumored end-of-season retirement in 2026 after some mixed performances through the season so far, Schwartz said:

“Everyone is going to criticize everybody now; that’s the way the world works now in both the media and social media.

“Travis isn’t the player he was at 28, 29. I don’t think he would say that himself, and I don’t think that anyone’s ever said that he should be playing at the same level.

“You get into the Kelce vs Gronkowski comparisons, and Gronk is almost Hall of Fame eligible already for how long he’s been out, and then he retired once and then came back with Tampa Bay, so there is an aspect of longevity that’s really impressive with what he’s doing.

“I think he’s going to slot into the role he should have originally at his age and his ability currently. We’ve seen him. He’s still a good player. He’s still going to get open, and he still has the ability to shake guys off.

“He obviously doesn’t have the speed that he has at 36 that he had, again, at 29, 30, 31 when he was at his peak, but he’s still a really good player.

“I know he cares about the game a lot. I know he prepares really hard for it. Obviously, his life has gotten crazy with who he’s engaged to and with the podcast and all those things.

“That doesn’t mean that his preparation, the way he goes about things, has changed at all.

“As much as Pat is the leader of the team and gives the speeches, Travis is still an emotional leader, if not the emotional leader of the offensive unit. The team definitely goes as he goes.”

*Schwartz believes that Kelce still has plenty to offer as a top-level NFL tight-end (Credit: Wikimedia Commons)

Whether he plays beyond February 2026 or not; Kelce has a huge year ahead of him. Earlier this year, the 36-year-old proposed to Taylor Swift, with media and fan speculation over wedding details at fever pitch.

Kelce has referenced his younger party days in the past, and he’s often been spotted with the microphone after Kansas City Chief AFC Conference victories.

When asked where he thinks a Travis Kelce bachelor party could take place, Schwartz replied:

“The great thing about Travis is you could go anywhere and it’d be a great time because he’s an awesome dude.

“He loves the people he’s around more than the place that he’s in. When you see him, he’s usually surrounded by a lot of people, and it’s for good reason.

“He’s personable, people love to be around him and he’s great to those that are around him.

“You could definitely go to somewhere like Vegas with him. Equally you could go down to Florida, be a little more chill, have him more on the golf course, getting in a little bit of trouble during the nights, wherever people go down there.

“With Travis, if you’re doing a bachelor party, it doesn’t matter where you are. It’s that you’re there with him. That’s the beauty of him as a person.”

Swift has been spotted at virtually every Arrowhead game since her relationship with Kelce was revealed. Although Schwartz retired before the media frenzy started, he still lives in KC and is often at the games to support his friends and former teammates.

Asked if Taylor has had a positive impact on the atmosphere at Arrowhead, he said:

“Oh, yeah, for sure. I mean, she has maybe the most fans in the world of anybody that exists.

“They’re very loyal; she just put out that new album and it’s as good as all the others. So, yeah, I think all her fans starting to watch her, starting to watch football, getting invested in Travis and the Chiefs, it definitely amps up the volume.

“Arrowhead is historically the NFL stadium with the best atmosphere and energy, so I think at the games themselves, even with a little bit of boost of energy whenever she’s shown on the screen, it’s always going to be rowdy.

“In terms of fan support, people watching the game on TV, people buying the merchandise, all the other things that go into the business of football, I think Taylor has been great for it. The more eyeballs we can get on football, the better, because it’s such a fun game to be a part of.”

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