Travis Kelce made his return to the practice field on Wednesday, marking his first public appearance with the team since marrying Taylor Swift nearly a month ago.
Although he had been seen working out several times before and after the high-profile wedding, his appearance at training camp quickly became a talking point among fans.
Travis Kelce's physical appearance sparks buzz
The Chiefs shared videos of Kelce walking onto the practice field along with several photos of the 36-year-old, prompting social media users to speculate about his physique.
The discussion gained momentum after additional images of Kelce circulated on X, with some fans suggesting he appeared noticeably heavier, likely because the photos showed what looked like a fuller midsection and thicker thighs.
One X account shared Kelce’s image and wrote, “Travis Kelce has been married 1 month but looks like he's on his second marriage with 4 kids.”
Another X account, Football Crave, also shared the same side-profile image of Kelce, captioning it, “Travis Kelce returns to training camp as a married man.”
Has Kelce really gained a lot of weight?
{{/usCountry}}Another X account, Football Crave, also shared the same side-profile image of Kelce, captioning it, “Travis Kelce returns to training camp as a married man.”
Has Kelce really gained a lot of weight?
{{/usCountry}}The images quickly went viral and fueled further speculation on social media that Kelce had gained a significant amount of weight. However, the photos appear to have been digitally altered or enhanced, making his midsection and thighs look noticeably bulkier than they likely are.
Football Crave is a parody account, and the same image shared by another X user was flagged by X's Community Notes as a digitally altered image, casting doubt on the authenticity of the viral photos.
The viral image also appears to have been taken from a screenshot of a video shared by FOX4 Sports journalist Taylor Burr, which showed Kelce walking onto the training field.
In the original clip, however, Kelce does not appear nearly as bulky as he does in the versions circulated by the two X accounts, suggesting those images were likely altered.
Training video draws attention
That said, a separate video recorded from the practice field does briefly give the impression that the 36-year-old may have added some weight around his midsection.
However, there is no way to confirm that from the footage alone, as the appearance could just as easily be the result of an abdominal protector or other training equipment worn under his practice gear.
Fans debate Kelce's physique
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the viral images, fans were quick to react with jokes and observations about Kelce's appearance.
One fan wrote, “Looks like he’s been at KFC.” Another joked, “He is moving to guard from tight end.”
One fan commented, “He’s wearing rib and ab guard padding that’s used when practicing.”
While Kelce's appearance may have looked slightly different to some viewers, there is no evidence that he has suddenly gained the significant amount of weight depicted in the viral images.
Those posts appear to exaggerate his physique, and the available original footage does not support such claims.