Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce have caused quite a stir since rumors started to spread that they were “quietly hanging out.” That might be an understatement, too, as it seems fans just can’t get enough of this potential coupling. The Swift and Kelce timeline actually dates back to the summer, when the NFL player admitted to shooting his shot at an Eras Tour concert by using the singer’s friendship bracelet trend to try to slip her his number. The worlds of music and sports have since collided, and many are desperate to find out more about what’s going on between Kelce and Swift.
While the Kansas City Chiefs tight end has addressed the time he’s spent with the Grammy winner, he did not define their relationship, or confirm that they’re actually dating. Let’s take a look at how this started along with everything we know about the fan-favorite athlete's rumored relationship with the “Anti-Hero” singer.
July 8: Travis Kelce Attends Eras Tour At Arrowhead Stadium In Kansas City
Was this the night it all started? On July 8, Taylor Swift brought her Eras Tour to Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium — a venue that two-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce knows all too well. A number of seemingly random celebrities have been spotted taking in the much-talked-about concert event, including athletes like Aaron Rodgers and J.J. Watt and, now, fans have come through with proof that the Chiefs tight end was, in fact, in the house that night:
the way we have footage of travis kelce at the eras tour and taylor at a chiefs game oh this is doing so much for me pic.twitter.com/RNBC5qqQj6September 25, 2023
Anyone who got footage of Travis Kelce on that night couldn’t in their wildest dreams have imagined what a big deal that was going to become.
July 26: Travis Kelce Recalls Shooting His Shot With Taylor Swift At Eras Tour Concert
I’ve always said, never underestimate a man who’s willing to make you homemade jewelry. Swifties were swept right off of their feet when Travis Kelce recalled his Eras Tour experience on New Heights, the podcast he shares with his brother, Jason Kelce, of the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis was all about the Eras Tour etiquette, as he fashioned quite the special friendship bracelet. Yet he admitted to being a little “butt hurt” when he wasn’t able to complete the pass, so to speak. He said:
I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it. And she doesn't meet anybody, or at least she didn't want to meet me, so I took it personal.
A cruel summer indeed! However, the move proved the Kansas City Chief was pretty fearless, and his creativity won over fans and possibly the songstress herself, too. Because it seems the two made a connection at some point.
September 12: Rumors Circulate That Taylor Swift And Travis Kelce Are ‘Quietly Hanging Out’
A little over two months after her Kansas City concert date, reports surfaced that Taylor Swift was “quietly hanging out” with Travis Kelce, having spent time with him in New York “a few weeks ago,” according to The Messenger. These rumors came around the same time the anonymous gossip site Deuxmoi reported rumblings of a new situation for the Midnights artist and that she’d made plans to go somewhere with the football player. However, the nature of the alleged date was not disclosed.
September 14: Jason Kelce Addresses Rumors Following NFL Game
If you can’t get the info from a gossip site, go straight to the source, right? Or, as the case may be, the source’s brother. With Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce being the talk of seemingly every media outlet in the country, it almost had to be addressed on Thursday Night Football, which aired one of Jason Kelce's games. The Eagles center was noncommittal but didn’t deny the rumors either, as he told the NFL analysts:
I don’t really know what’s going on there. So yeah, I know Travis is having fun, and we’ll see what happens with whoever he ends up with.
Some outlets later reported that Jason Kelce confirmed the relationship, when he said on a radio show that “I think they're doing great and I think it's all 100% true.” During that same chat, he quickly clarified that he was joking and didn’t actually know what was happening. However, it wasn’t long before Travis Kelce spoke out for himself.
September 21: Travis Kelce Says He Invited Taylor Swift To Kansas City Chiefs Game
While still not addressing the nature of their relationship, Travis Kelce did confirm he was in contact with Taylor Swift in one way or another, as he said on The Pat McAfee Show that he had invited the artist back to Arrowhead Stadium. The tight end said:
I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court. I told her, ‘I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead, you might have to see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.’ So we’ll see what happens in the near future.
I love this! He got to see the singer in her element. Now, it was his turn to flex.
September 24: Taylor Swift Attends Kansas City Chiefs Game
When the footballer said “in the near future,” he meant just that. Three days later, Taylor Swift was back in Arrowhead Stadium, watching him play while sitting next to his mom, Donna Kelce, in the family’s suite. She was fully ready for it, too. Swift was dropping F-bombs as she cheered Travis on, chest-bumping with her friends and having an all-out blast.
The two were seen leaving the stadium together, and they reportedly celebrated the Chiefs’ win over the Chicago Bears well into the night. Travis Kelce even rented out an entire restaurant for an afterparty attended by the songwriter, his parents and teammates, per ET.
September 27: Travis Kelce Speaks Out About Taylor Swift On His Podcast
Taylor Swift’s presence at the Chiefs game took things to a whole new level, and forget No. 13; Travis Kelce’s No. 87 became the number to be enchanted with. Sales of his jersey reportedly jumped 400% in the aftermath of her Arrowhead appearance. Kelce spoke out again on New Heights to address all of his supposed new fans, calling it “ballsy” that Swift accepted his invitation, and relaying that everyone had only great things to say about her, calling it “a game I’ll remember.”
He also attempted to curb the media frenzy a bit by pointing that he brought this on himself. Yet as he pointed out, the Speak Now singer isn’t in the media as regularly as he is with football. So while he’s enjoying going on in his life, when it comes to his public appearances, “talking about sports and saying 'Alright now' will have to be kind of where I keep it.” Good luck with that, sir!
However Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are defining their friendship, the NFL player says he’s having fun and, if the Lover artist’s experience at the Chiefs game is any indication, she is as well. We’ll have to see if they turn out to be end game — if they confirm their relationship at all, that is — and in the meantime, we’ll all be keeping our eyes on those Kansas City Chiefs games as we prepare for the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour concert film and other upcoming projects for Swifties to be excited about.