Travis Kelce’s taunts in last Sunday’s AFC Championship game came at a five-figure price.
On Saturday, the league announced the star Chiefs tight end had been fined $11,255 for taunting Bills players during his team’s 32-29 win at Arrowhead Stadium, where Kansas City punched its ticket to a third straight Super Bowl with a chance of a historic three-peat on the line.
The incident occurred late in the first half of the AFC title game when Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was brought to the ground by Buffalo safety Damar Hamlin after he crossed the goal line for a touchdown.
Travis Kelce (87) was fined for taunting Bills players in the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win on Jan. 26, 2025.Getty Images
Kelce, 35, got in Hamlin’s face afterward and was fined for those actions.
Bills defensive tackle Jordan Phillips was also fined $6,722 for his role in the fracas, according to reports, as a headbutt to Kelce resulted in an unnecessary roughness penalty.
Upon colliding with Phillips’ helmet, Kelce faltered backward and raised his hands, with CBS analyst Tony Romo accusing the 10-time Pro Bowler of flopping.
“Kelce knows how to get under your skin,” Romo remarked to play-by-play man Jim Nantz on the broadcast. “… And Phillips comes in, [Kelce] tries for the flop.”
Travis Kelce was accused of flopping during the incident in the AFC title game.AP
The Chiefs — who have benefited from controversial calls this postseason, fueling discourse about league favoritism — will face the Eagles in Super Bowl 2025 in New Orleans next Sunday.
Kelce, chasing his fourth Super Bowl win with the Chiefs, told older brother Jason Kelce on Wednesday’s installment of “New Heights” that he’s relishing this new villain era.
“I love it. At one point in time, it wasn’t (like) that,” Kelce said.
The Chiefs are now going for the three-peat when they face the Eagles in Super Bowl 2025.USA TODAY Sports via Reuters Con
Travis Kelce celebrated the Chiefs’ AFC Championship win with girlfriend Taylor Swift.Getty Images
“I was the, ‘Do you feel bad for them guys.’ I’m enjoying doing this work with the guys we have in there because it makes us even more of a family. You just circle the wagons. When people are saying whatever they want, you’re just banded together and it just makes you appreciate more what you have because people want what you have.”
The Chiefs are one win away from becoming the first team to win three straight Super Bowls.
The couple shared a similar embrace in February 2024 when the Chiefs defeated the 49ers in the Super Bowl.Getty Images
Although the reigning champs have their eyes on the ultimate prize, they still celebrated last week’s AFC Championship win in style.
Kelce sealed the victory with a kiss from girlfriend Taylor Swift, who watched the game from a suite with her family and his.
“Oh my God, this is so insane,” Swift, 35, said in a video from the celebrations shared Wednesday by NFL Films. “Look at this. This is not a real-life situation.”
The couple shared a similar embrace last February when the Chiefs took down the 49ers in overtime of Super Bowl 2024.
Swift and Kelce have been dating since 2023.
