It's a tale as old as time: the girl marrying the boy on the football team. But that tale is set to become a reality Tuesday after Taylor Swift unexpectedly announced her engagement to Travis Kelce after two years of dating.
Swift and Kelce's joyous news may have fallen on deaf ears to the Brads, Chads and dads out there, and somehow even one NFL coach. As the rest of the world celebrates what feels like a fairytale come true, we took a look back at the 10 biggest moments in the NFL power couple's love story.
The moments range from "Pinch me, I'm dreaming" to downright corny, yet they share the same invisible string connecting a world-class football player to a world-famous pop star for the rest of their lives (dare we say, some things are bigger than sports).
MORE: One Taylor Swift Song to Describe Every NFL Team Entering the 2025 Season
Without any further ado, here we go...
10. It's Instagram official
Travis Kelce just filled a blank space on his Instagram feed, and we're giggling and kicking our feet. 🥰 (📷: Instagram) pic.twitter.com/c9KHfGsuIn
— E! News (@enews) July 24, 2025
A month before their engagement, Kelce sent Swift's fans into a frenzy after he shared an offseason photo dump of never-before-seen pictures with his then-girlfriend.
The youths call it "hard-launching," or "putting someone on the grid." Of course, Kelce and Swift had been going strong for nearly two years by then, so the relationship itself wasn't a surprise. The photos, however, were.
Kelce gave fans a rare glimpse of his personal life with Swift, from his vacations with their friends to romantic dinner dates. It marked a sizable relationship milestone for the couple and, in retrospect, served as a precursor of happy news to come.
9. Swift goes back to school at Tight End University
No one does Nashville like country-turned-pop singer Taylor Swift (and yes, we know she was born in Pennsylvania).
This year's Tight End University program saw Swift make a surprise guest appearance at her boyfriend's annual event, and she left behind an unforgettable mark on the stage. At the time, Swift hadn't performed in public since buying back her masters to her first six albums, and she chose—out of all places—a rowdy sports-centered shindig in Nashville to put on a special show.
Those in attendance were graced with a live version of one of her top hits, "Shake It Off:"
GOD IM OBSESSED WITH THIS VERSION pic.twitter.com/1Xm4QSsjR4
— nich❤️🔥 (@sohighschooll) June 25, 2025
Add it to the lore.
8. Karma is the guy on the Chiefs
As much as Swift loves her easter eggs, she'll also drop the in-your-face hint from time to time. During her Eras Tour concert in Argentina in November 2023, she changed the lyrics in her song, "Karma," to pay a sweet tribute to Kelce.
Swift sang, "Karma is the guy on the Chiefs, coming straight home to me," changing the original word, "screen," to "Chiefs."
Given that this happened during the couple's early dating days, the small lyric tweak was, in fact, a really big deal.
Here's video of that cheeky moment, including Kelce's bashful reaction:
📹 | Travis Kelce and Scott Swift’s reaction to Taylor changing the lyrics to “Karma is the guy in the Chiefs” #BuenosAiresTheErasTour
— Taylor Swift News (@TSwiftNZ) November 12, 2023
pic.twitter.com/k3dje9EC3u
7. Finally meeting Queen Kylie and Shirtless Jason Kelce
If Kelce and Swift could be considered America's Royal Couple, Jason and Kylie are... the king and queen of Philly.
Swift first met Philly's royalty during a cold and wintry playoff game between the Chiefs and Bills in January 2024, and it honestly could not have been more iconic. There's Swift chatting it up with Ky in the suite. Swift watching a shirtless Jason leap out the window and howl at the moon. And later, Jason bringing the pop star small children for her to meet, because it was a nice thing to do.
Swift even recounted her experience at the game during her podcast debut:
"It was wild," Swift said. "All of a sudden, you're out there in the snow, you're handing me children through the window... 'Whose kid is that, Jason?'"
Which just so happens to be a good segue...
6. New neeeeews: Swift's New Heights podcast debut
As far as surprises go, Swift hopping on New Heights to announce her 12th album came way out of left field.
There were too many priceless moments to count: the pet otter dream, Swift knowing and not knowing ball, the Super Bowl easter eggs, her emotional reaction to buying back her masters, the stories of Swift and Kelce's rosy domestic life. We'll be the first to admit that the Kelce brothers' bro-ey podcast can often drag on for too long, but with Swift as their very special guest, fans lapped it all up.
Both Swift and Kelce can now add breaking the internet and a new Guinness world record to their respective impressive resumes.
5. How it all started
Now we're getting into the heavy-hitters.
Kelce had a friendship bracelet and a dream, and Swift had a strict rule about not doing meet-and-greets during her Eras Tour. The Chiefs tight end publicly giving Swift a shout-out on his podcast was the equivalent of John Cusack boom-boxing it, and this romantic comedy looks like it'll get its happy ending after all.
"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," Kelce said. "Alright, nah."
Anyone know how to get a bracelet to @taylorswift13? … asking for a friend 😅 @BWWings
— New Heights (@newheightshow) July 26, 2023
New episode premieres NOW!
Tap in: https://t.co/lmQ8fLH1IO pic.twitter.com/4yYr8HSb0m
Shoot your shot, fellas.
4. Don't drop the baby at Wembley
It's a little too early to be thinking of Kelce and Swift growing their family right now, but if they do choose to go down that path, they'll have the perfect story to tell their unborn child.
Last offseason, the Chiefs star made his one and only on-stage Eras Tour appearance at Wembley Stadium, going undercover as one of Swift's backup dancers during her Tortured Poets Department set.
Fitted in a top hat and tuxedo, Kelce dazzled hundreds of thousands of Swifties in London with a brief but instantly memorable performance that had him thinking the whole time: "Do not drop the baby," as he was tasked with picking up Swift and carrying her to a couch during a transition between songs.
Travis Kelce made a surprise appearance at Taylor Swift's Eras Tour concert in London Sunday 🔥 pic.twitter.com/YwVc7ltPWm
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) June 23, 2024
“I’m still cracking up/swooning over @killatrav’s Eras Tour debut. Never going to forget these shows,” Swift wrote in an Instagram post after the show.
Neither will we.
3. Swift's first Chiefs game at Arrowhead
The collective gasp when we saw Swift in the Chiefs suite during a September home game against the Bears. That's it. That's the blurb. Nothing else needs to be said.
Taylor Swift is HERE for the Chiefs game 👀 pic.twitter.com/46SW4gEodz
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) September 24, 2023
2. Celebrating the Chiefs' 2023–24 Super Bowl win
As red confetti fluttered in the air and reporters swarmed the field, one photograph was shared 'round the world after the Chiefs' Super Bowl win in 2024: Kelce locking lips with Swift.
Kelce had just helped Kansas City clinch its second straight Lombardi Trophy in an overtime victory against the 49ers, and his night was sealed with a sweet kiss by his girlfriend, who flew to Las Vegas from Tokyo to watch him play.
.@tkelce and @taylorswift13 postgame is everything. ❤️
— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2024
Full @insideTheNFL Mic'd Up coverage tonight 8/7c on @TheCW pic.twitter.com/xjtrh8f7YA
That photo of Kelce and Swift is currently displayed at Arrowhead and has been named one of TIME's top 100 photos of the year. A picture is traditionally worth a thousand words, but this one just needs two: True love.
1. Put a (wedding) ring on it
Tell a friend: Kelce and Swift are engaged. After receiving a blessing from Swift's father, the Chiefs star planned a special proposal for Swift and popped the question in a picturesque garden in Missouri. The rest, as they say, is history.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Ranking the 10 Biggest Moments in Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift’s Love Story.
