If fans’ responses to Travis Kelce’s throwback photo could be summarized in one emoji, it would be this one: 🥺.
On Thursday, June 27, the Kansas City Chiefs shared a side-by-side photo of the tight end in his rookie year, juxtaposed with his latest official team photo in Year 12.
“Where does the time go @tkelce?! 🤯,” the official Chiefs X account posted alongside the “before and after” shot. The team’s Instagram, meanwhile, shared a slideshow of 10 of its key players — Patrick Mahomes, Mecole Hardman Jr. and more — comparing photos from their first year on the team to their current one.
“Went back into the archives for these 😁,” the Chiefs captioned the instagram carousel.
Fans, of course, were transfixed by Kelce’s transformation. Dozens of comments poured in remarking how Kelce, now 34, has “aged like a fine wine” over the years.
“Travy got daddy 🥵,” one person commented via Instagram.
Others were stunned at his resemblance to Chris Evans in his rookie year.
“I thought year 1 was Chris Evans in a Travis jersey 🤣😂,” someone shared via X (formerly known as Twitter). “Chris Evans???” another questioned.
Needless to say, there were many (many) references to Taylor Swift — particularly her Tortured Poets Department track “So High School,” about her romance with Kelce.
As for the Chiefs’ question — “Where does the time go?” — Swifties had an answer that repeated throughout numerous comments.
Travis Kelce performs onstage during 2024 Big Slick Celebrity Weekend on June 01, 2024 in Kansas City, Missouri. Weeks later, fans are going feral reacting to an old-school photo of Kelce that the Chiefs posted online.
Kyle Rivas/Getty Images
“In the blink of an crinkling eye😌,” was the consensus among commenter after commenter.
Even more fans loved to see the Chiefs’ glow-up as a whole.
“Everyone @ KC apparently turns into a Calvin Klein model over time,” one person commented on the team’s Instagram slideshow.
“I love the way that every single one of them looks just genuinely happier now,” another gushed.
Swift, for her part, made a rare comment about her romance with Kelce after the NFL star took the stage at her third London show at the Eras Tour last weekend.
“I’m still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav’s Eras Tour debut 🥰,” she captioned a series of Instagram photos from her first three shows at Wembley Stadium this tour. The Grammy winner will be back in August for five more shows at the venue. (Kelce, meanwhile, has seemingly teased his own return to the stage as well.)
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
