Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are rumoured to be dating. Photo / Getty Images
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift are rumoured to be dating. Photo / Getty Images
They were driving in their getaway car and accidentally captivated the masses, now everyone’s asking, who is Taylor Swift’snew man?
For weeks, rumours have been swirling about Swift and NFL Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce’s secret romance, and it seems things were finally confirmed when the pop star attended his game over the weekend.
After being spotted in the athlete’s box at Arrowhead Stadium with Kelce’s mum, Donna, the rumoured couple made their first public appearance together as they walked out of the stadium and drove off in Kelce’s car.
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce were spotted after the game. Photo / TikTok
The moment was quickly followed up by the NFL star’s first public comment about the love story on his New Heights podcast here he called Swift “amazing”.
Fans have gone wild reacting to his sweet comments about the star and want to know everything about Swift’s new man. Thankfully, we’ve got all the answers.
Here is everything you need to know:
Who is Travis Kelce?
Born in Ohio in 1989, the 33-year-old has made quite the name for himself in the world of American football.
Currently playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, Fox Sports and CBS Sports have reported he’s considered to be one of the greatest tight ends of all time. He not only holds the NFL record for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1000 yards receiving by a tight end with seven, but he is also a four-time first team All-Pro selection and eight-time Pro Bowler.
Kelce’s list of achievements also includes two impressive Super Bowl wins.
Aside from the sport, Kelce isn’t new to the world of fame. He previously dated social media influencer Kayla Nicole, who accused him of cheating, telling Daily Mail, “Once a cheater, always a cheater”. He also starred in the E! dating show Catching Kelce where he met and briefly dated Maya Benberry.
It seems he isn’t camera-shy as in March of this year, he signed on to host Saturday Night Live and even convinced his older brother Jason, 35, who plays for the Philadelphia Eagles, to make an appearance. Kelce also talked about being terrible in school and getting kicked off the football team in college for using marijuana during his hosting duties.
“So it just goes to show you if you smoke weed and you’re bad at school, you can win the Super Bowl twice,” he said.
The two Kelce brothers have used their love for football and huge platform to create the popular podcast New Heights, which they host together.
Named in honour of their hometown of Cleveland Heights, the brothers release weekly episodes where they talk about football as well as life. Kelce even spoke about his rumoured relationship with Swift in this week’s episode, however, he didn’t give too much away and said he wanted to keep things private.
What is Travis’ net worth?
If the rumours of the potential couple’s romance are true, they would make quite a rich couple.
According to Forbes, Swift is worth a huge US$740 million. Thanks to her lengthy career and eye-watering $137.5 million in digital and album sales, she is projected to hit billionaire status very soon, as her Eras Tour is expected to see her personally pocket at least $500 million.
But while Page Six reports she is worth almost 24 times more than Kelce, it doesn’t mean he is struggling – in fact, it’s far from the truth.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Photo / Getty Images
As well as endorsement deals and his four-year $57.25 million deal with the Chiefs, the Super Bowl champion is a millionaire in his own right. Wealth site Celebrity Net Worth reports that he is worth $30 million – which is likely to rise following the completion of his four-year contract.
Sportrac reported the agreement included $22.75 million in guaranteed money when he signed it in 2020, plus an annual salary of $14,312,500.
This year alone, Kelce is expected to make a base salary of $11,250,000 before bonuses.
When did Travis and Taylor meet?
While it’s unclear exactly when the rumoured love birds officially met, during a New Heights episode on July 26, Kelce revealed he had recently attended a Taylor Swift concert.
Cosmopolitan reported it could have been Swift’s July 7 or 8 concert, which both occurred at Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium.
On the podcast, Kelce said he had made a friendship bracelet to give to Swift with his number on it but he wasn’t able to get it to her. It sounds small to the uninitiated, but for Swift fans – who are known for making and swapping friendship bracelets at her concerts – this is huge.
Friendship bracelets are a rite of passage at a Taylor Swift concert. Photo / Getty Images
“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” the Kansas City Chiefs player said on the episode.
He went on to say he was “a little butt-hurt” that he couldn’t talk to her.
By September 12, buzz about the potential couple’s romance started making headlines with a source telling Entertainment Tonight that the two were “talking” and that the two had been “quietly hanging out”.
A couple of days later, retired NFL player Tony Gonzalez asked Jason about his brother’s rumoured romance during TNF Nightcap, and the Philadelphia Eagles player played it very coy. “I’ve seen these rumours. I cannot comment.”
Taylor Swift watches from a suite alongside Travis Kelce's mother, Donna Kelce. Photo / AP
Swift fans started feeding into the rumours even more on September 18 when the singer herself was spotted wearing an opal necklace – the birthstone of her rumoured beau. While it’s a bit of a reach, Swift loves an Easter egg and so do her fans.
Just last week, Kelce set the record straight during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, where People magazine reported he said he “threw the ball in [Swift’s] court” and invited her to watch him play at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kelce didn’t clarify if he and Swift had met in person, but he reportedly told her, “I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead [Stadium]. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.”
Speaking to People magazine, a source said that while Swift is busy, she was determined to attend. “Travis invited her to the game, and of course she said ‘yes.’”
“She just thought it was a fantastic way to spend Sunday,” the source added.
Since the public debut – whether it’s as friends or partners – Kelce said on his podcast, “Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy. She looked amazing and everybody was talking about her in great light.”
But he added that he won’t be talking more about their potential love story, saying, “It is my personal life and I wanna respect both of our lives.”
Lillie Rohan is an Auckland-based reporter covering lifestyle and entertainment stories who joined the Herald in 2020. She specialises in all things relationships and dating, great Taylor Swift ticket wars and TV shows you simply cannot miss out on.
