Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce insisted Friday that he is ready for the circus that comes with the Super Bowl.

He’s been through it three times, after all, and has two rings to show for it.

It has never been quite like this, though.

Kelce’s profile has never been higher than it is now, as the Chiefs prepare to face the San Francisco 49ers on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas. He is constantly appearing in television ads, selling everything from soup to insurance. He’s been involved in made-for-TV golf matches, charity softball games and had a guest-host stint this past year on “Saturday Night Live.”

You might have heard he’s dating Taylor Swift, too. And that could make Monday night particularly busy, when he takes center stage at what the NFL calls “Super Bowl Opening Night.” The event has become its own televised extravaganza, and the talk that takes place is usually more light-hearted entertainment than heavy-duty X’s and O’s.

In other words, expect Kelce to be asked about his pop superstar girlfriend plenty.

“That’s going to be kind of where it starts for everybody,” Kelce told a few reporters inside Arrowhead Stadium, “and at this point, I just love it. It’s an exciting time. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime type of thing that I’ve been able to enjoy a few times.”

Kelce didn’t say whether he expects Swift to be inside Allegiant Stadium by kickoff, though that appears to be the plan. She has a performance on her Eras Tour in Tokyo on Saturday night, but the time change means she could make it with time to spare.

Swift was certainly front-and-center last weekend in Baltimore, where she watched Kelce score a touchdown while leading the Chiefs to a 17-10 victory over the Ravens in the AFC title game. In the wild, on-field celebration afterward, Kelce was joined by his well-known brother Jason, his parents and perhaps equally well-known mom Donna, and Swift, who gave him a big kiss.

“It’s another memory in the journey that we get to cherish, man,” Kelce said. “I was fortunate to have all the support I need off the field, and you know, it’s given me a reason to play that much harder.”

Kelce has not had quite the dominating statistical season that he’s had in previous years. Part of that was due to a knee injury that kept him out of a Week 1 loss to the Lions, and part of it was the fact that he sat out the Chiefs’ regular-season finale against the Chargers, when they had locked up the AFC West and could not improve upon their No. 3 playoff seed.

But the 34-year-old Kelce balked when asked whether this year, his 11th in the league, has been harder than the rest.

“I mean, every single year is different,” he said, “and I’m not going to lie, there have been years where I’ve kind of battled through some things that frankly were a little more serious, and a little more frustrating than what I had to go through this year.”

One thing that was different this season: losing. The Chiefs lost five of eight at one point midway through their campaign.

“The fact that we weren’t winning kind of piled up on how I was feeling physically,” Kelce said. “You can catch yourself in a, I don’t know, darker room, I guess, if that makes sense. And being able to find ways to win, kind of rally with the group, find a way to win the division still, find a way to get into the playoffs and where we are today, it just makes it that much more fun.”

RAIDERS: The Las Vegas Raiders are hiring former Arizona Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury to be their offensive coordinator, a person informed of the decision told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the deal hasn’t been finalized.

This is the first major hire for new Raiders Coach Antonio Pierce, who had the interim tag removed Jan. 19. Kingsbury will be in charge of trying to turn around a Las Vegas offense that was 27th this season yards per game (289.5) and 23rd in scoring (19.5-point average).

The Raiders also will have a decision to make at quarterback. Rookie Aidan O’Connell went 5-4 after being handed the job, but questions remain whether he has the ability to lead the Raiders into and deep in the playoffs.

The Raiders pick 13th in this year’s quarterback-deep draft, but the top names likely will be gone by the time Las Vegas’ spot comes up.

SAINTS: According to multiple reports, New Orleans is planning to hire San Francisco 49ers passing game coordinator Klint Kubiak to be its next offensive coordinator, but the deal cannot become official until after the Super Bowl on Feb. 11 between the 49ers and the Kansas City Chiefs.

The son of former Super Bowl-winning coach Gary Kubiak, Klint Kubiak has carved his own coaching path in the NFL. Before joining the 49ers this last season, Kubiak has had stops in Denver, Minnesota and Denver in a variety of roles as he’s ascended through the coaching ranks. In 2021, Kubiak was named offensive coordinator of the Minnesota Vikings – a role he held for one season before Coach Mike Zimmer and his staff were replaced at the end of the season.

Though Kubiak only has one year of coordinator experience, he helped put together a productive offense during that season. The Vikings finished 12th in yards, 14th in points, 11th in passing and 17th in rushing.

BUCCANEERS: Tampa Bay center Ryan Jensen announced his retirement via social media after a knee injury caused him to play only one game over the last two seasons.

Jensen, 32, spent the entire 2023 season on injured reserve while dealing with an injury that also sidelined him for the 2022 regular season. Jensen did return to play in the Buccaneers’ playoff loss to the Dallas Cowboys that capped their 2022 season. Jensen had been with the Buccaneers since 2018 and was the starting center on the 2020 team that won a Super Bowl title.

BILLS: Buffalo promoted Al Holcomb to linebackers coach and Marcus West to defensive line coach.

Holcomb was a senior defensive assistant for the Bills this season. He has 15 years of NFL coaching experience. West joined the Bills in 2022 as an assistant defensive line coach. He helped the Bills collect 54 sacks this season to rank fourth in the NFL.

FALCONS: Atlanta Coach Raheem Morris is continuing to fill out his staff, hiring former Los Angeles Chargers assistant Kevin Koger as tight ends coach on Friday.

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