Chiefs Kingdom Finds Its Queen

Taylor Swift is “Part of the Team,” Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback Confirms

Patrick Mahomes says some Chiefs razzed Travis Kelce when he started dating the singer, but that's all over now.
Fans holding pictures of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce
Kansas City Chiefs fans hold giant cutouts of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce during an NFL football game on Nov 20, 2023 at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO.Icon Sportswire/Getty Images

Dads, Brads, and Chads have another reason to be angry today (not that they ever need an excuse, sigh). That unholy trinity of names is billionaire singer Taylor Swift's shorthand for the multitudes of males enraged when she shows up at boyfriend Travis Kelce's place of work, coined in her Person of the Year interview with Time. But according to Patrick Mahomes, who, as Kansas City Chiefs quarterback, is a colleague to tight end Kelce, Swift is a welcome presence at Chiefs games and is now “just part of Chiefs Kingdom,” like any other Brad or Chad out there.

Mahomes made the controversial remarks in an interview with NFL player turned journalist Nate Burleson, who referred to Swift as “the elephant in the room.” 

A fan holds up a sign during a game between the Chicago Bears and the Kansas City Chiefs at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

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“At first, I feel like everybody kind of stayed away, just let him do what he was doing,” Mahomes said of Kelce and Swift's burgeoning relationship, which reportedly began before the 2023 NFL season commenced.

But Kelce's teammates are only human. “I mean, it was a couple of jokes here and there in the beginning,” Mahomes admits.

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes react in a suite during the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on December 03, 2023 in Green Bay, Wisconsin

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“Then he started bringing Taylor around, and you realize how cool of a person she was and she is," Mahomes said, perhaps referring to Swift's first public Chiefs game in September.

According to Mahomes, Kelce is “lucky enough to be with a great girl — and a great woman — and it’s been cool to kind of interact with her and see, because she’s top tier of her profession." Mahomes, who per Fox Sports is at the top tier of his profession,  says he is learning from Swift, and is enjoying the opportunity to “see how she drives and she becomes that.” 

A young fan holds up a sign referring to Taylor Swift. The New England Patriots lost to the Kansas City Chiefs, 27-17.

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Now that the relationship appears to be on solid ground, Swift is "just part of Chiefs Kingdom and she’s part of the team.” Mahomes says, news that will likely disappoint those who booed Swift at the Chiefs' most recent game. 

Then again, Chiefs fans also booed during a 2020 moment of silence “dedicated to the ongoing fight for equality,” so some members of the so-called Kingdom might be a little more retrograde than others. The families of those boo-leaning folks should probably brace for a Christmas Day pout or two, as Swift will reportedly be spending Christmas with Kelce and the rest of the team, as they play the Las Vegas Raiders at 1 p.m. ET.