10 Minutes ago in Ohio, Travis Kelce was confirmed!

It’s official — Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs superstar and one of the NFL’s most recognizable faces, is coming home to Ohio in a way no one saw coming. In a surprise announcement this morning at the Cleveland Browns’ Berea training facility, Kelce was introduced as a minority owner of the franchise — a historic move that makes him the first active NFL player ever to hold an ownership stake in another team.

The press conference felt more like a victory parade than a business meeting. Kelce, 36, walked in wearing a tailored orange-and-brown suit with subtle “216” pinstripes — a nod to Cleveland’s area code — and a grin that could light up a stadium. “I spent my childhood in the Dawg Pound dreaming of this,” he said. “Now I get to bark from the owner’s box.”

The room erupted in laughter, cheers, and flashes from dozens of cameras. Behind him stood Browns owners Dee and Jimmy Haslam, along with general manager Andrew Berry and head coach Kevin Stefanski, all smiling as Kelce raised a custom Browns helmet into the air.

“Travis understands Ohio’s football soul,” Berry said. “He grew up here, he bleeds orange and brown, and he knows what this fan base means to the city.”

Kelce’s love for the Browns is no secret. The Akron native grew up idolizing Cleveland legends like Bernie Kosar and Ozzie Newsome, even famously wearing a Kosar jersey under his uniform during the Chiefs’ 2023 Super Bowl run. “I’m a Chief on the field,” he once said, “but I’ll always be a Browns fan at heart.”

Now, that loyalty has come full circle.

According to the team’s official statement, Kelce’s role will focus primarily on player development, community outreach, and fan engagement. But the deal also allows him to collaborate on sports innovation projects, including expanding his popular offseason program “Tight End University.” The initiative, founded with fellow tight ends George Kittle and Greg Olsen, will now host a “Cleveland Edition” each summer at the Browns’ training complex.

“Cleveland’s got football in its DNA,” Kelce said during the event. “It’s where I learned toughness, loyalty, and heart. This isn’t just business for me — it’s family.”

The league’s approval of the arrangement required a special vote by team owners, given the unprecedented nature of an active player holding equity in another franchise. Commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed the vote passed 30–2, with “strict guardrails” in place to prevent any conflict of interest between Kelce’s playing duties in Kansas City and his ownership role in Cleveland.

Goodell praised the decision as “a forward-thinking step for player empowerment and post-career transition planning.”

But in true Kelce fashion, the announcement wasn’t all corporate formality. The Browns revealed one of the more colorful clauses in his contract: once per season, Kelce is required to perform “Here Comes the Boom” — the hit song he famously danced to at a Chiefs victory parade — during halftime of a Browns home game. “They told me I had to bring the energy,” Kelce joked, flashing his signature grin. “I told them, say less.”

The NFL world lit up instantly. Within minutes, Patrick Mahomes posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Bro forgot to tell me he was buying the competition.” Jason Kelce, his brother and recently retired Eagles legend, shared a photo of their childhood bedroom plastered with Browns posters, captioning it, “Mom’s gonna cry again.”

Even LeBron James — an Akron native himself and minority owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers — joined in, sending a bottle of Lobos 1707 tequila to the press conference with a handwritten note: Welcome to the Ohio sports owners’ club. But don’t think I’m cheering for the Browns, bro.

It’s not the first time Travis Kelce has rewritten the rules. Over a decade into a career that’s already destined for the Hall of Fame, he’s redefined what it means to be a tight end, a brand, and a public figure. From his chemistry with Mahomes to his now-global relationship with pop icon Taylor Swift, Kelce has become one of the most visible and marketable athletes on the planet. But today’s move may be his boldest yet — blurring the line between player, entrepreneur, and owner.

Sports economist Dr. Leah Morton called it “a watershed moment.” “This is about legacy,” she said. “Kelce isn’t waiting until retirement to transition into ownership. He’s leveraging his cultural capital and influence while still playing — something few athletes have dared to do.”

Back in Berea, the mood was electric. After taking questions from reporters, Kelce was asked if his Chiefs teammates had any mixed feelings about him joining a rival team’s ownership group. He laughed. “Look, man — the Chiefs are my family. But the Browns? That’s blood. That’s childhood. And those two things can coexist.”

He paused, glancing at the back wall where the words “DAWG POUND” were emblazoned in bold white letters. “I’ve chased a lot of dreams on the field,” he continued, “but this one started in the bleachers.”

Kelce’s first order of business as a minority owner, he announced, will be commissioning a bronze statue of himself and Jason as kids in Browns gear to stand at the entrance of the team’s training complex. “I want every rookie walking in to remember where real hustle comes from — the backyard, the mud, the grind.”

The Haslams laughed but confirmed they’ve approved the project. “We expected Travis to bring a little flair,” Jimmy Haslam said. “That’s part of why we wanted him here.”

Before leaving the podium, Kelce put on a Dawg Pound mask handed to him by a fan and led the room in a booming chant:

“Chiefs by trade — Browns by birth!”

The crowd roared. Reporters clapped. Someone yelled, “Go Browns!” and Kelce barked in response, his laugh echoing through the room.

As the press conference wrapped, NFL insiders were already speculating about what this means for the future of player ownership. Could other athletes follow Kelce’s lead? Would the league eventually see more cross-team partnerships like this?

“It’s the next evolution,” said former player and commentator Ryan Clark on ESPN. “Travis Kelce just changed the game again — not with a catch, not with a touchdown, but with a signature on a contract.”

In Cleveland, where football pride runs deep and heartbreak runs deeper, the idea of a hometown hero returning — even part-time — has reignited excitement among fans. Social media was flooded with posts celebrating “Kelce coming home,” and local bars were already selling limited-edition “Kelce Dawg Pound” T-shirts within hours.

For Travis, though, the message was simpler. As he left the stage, still wearing that Cleveland grin, he told reporters: “It’s not about money or business. It’s about giving back to the place that made me. You can take the kid out of Ohio — but you can’t take Ohio out of the kid.”

And with that, he waved, barked once more for good measure, and walked off — part Chief, part Brown, all heart.

The NFL may never see another player quite like him again.