Patrick Mahomes Says Taylor Swift is “Drawing Up Plays” For Boyfriend Travis Kelce’s NFL Team

“She’s really interested in football.”

Travis Kelce Refers to Taylor Swift as His "Significant Other" During Las Vegas Charity Event
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Superstar Taylor Swift can sing, dance, write music, sell out historic concert venues, impact local economies with her shows and, it turns out, even create possible game-winning plays for Super Bowl-winning NFL teams.

On Thursday, Aug. 29, in a new NFL on NBC interview with Chris Simms, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patric Mahomes revealed that Swift is not only genuinely "interested" in the game of football, she's drawing up plays for her boyfriend Travis Kelce's Super Bowl-winning team.

"She's really interested in football, she asks a lot of great questions. She's already drawing up plays so we might have to put one in," Mahomes, a close friend of Kelce's, told Simms, while also acknowledging the impact Swift's relationship with the Chiefs' tight end has had on the game itself.

"(Attention) went up another level," he explained. "I think it's been cool to see the girls and the women that have really embraced watching football. I know being a girl dad how cool it is for me... to see these little girls, these daughters and how much they're loving spending time with their dad watching football."

Travis Kelce #87 and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talk before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

Travis Kelce #87 and Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs talk before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 22, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

There is no denying the "Swift-effect" the pair's high-profile relationship has had on NFL viewership. Last year’s NFL divisional playoff round averaged 40 million viewers, the highest since 1988, and Swift brought in the highest regular-season viewership among women since tracking began in 2000.

In addition, ticket sales and NFL merchandise—most notably Kelce jerseys—also increased exponentially after the pair went public with their romance. In September, when the Chiefs took on the Chicago Bears, StubHub representatives saw a nearly 3x increase in ticket sales in just 24 hours. In the same month, Kelce jersey sales increased 400% and the tight end had one of the NFL’s top-five selling jerseys. Tickets to last year's Super Bowl were the most expensive in NFL history, according to SeatGeek and CBS reporting: the cheapest available at $9,858.

Despite her undeniable impact and influence, Mahomes told Simms that Swift is equal parts down-to-earth and incredibly kind.

"Meeting Taylor, realizing how genuine and cool she is... that's been special to me, because like you said [she's] the most famous person in the world," Mahomes explained.

Taylor Swift with Brittany Mahomes Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on a double date where she wears a drop waist corset dress by Vivienne Westwood

Taylor Swift with Brittany Mahomes Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce on a double date.

(Image credit: @brittanylynne)

Earlier this year, Kelce detailed the moment he realized hew as "falling for" Swift, which happened to be during one of the NLF games she attended in person.

During an interview for an episode of Barstool Sports’ Bussin’ with the Boys podcast, Kelce explained that during a Kansas City Chiefs vs Chicago Bears game, Swift eschewed security and loads of attention in order to simply enjoy being just another fan in the stands.

“She really won me over with that one,” Kelce said at the time, noting that Swift wanted to “be around family and friends, and experience this with everybody." According to the tight end, Swift walked through the front door just like everybody else, even though Kelce had offered to arrange for Swift to arrive at Arrowhead incognito.

“She just walked right through the front door,” he said. There was no “talking to security, making sure she gets to her [seat]” and, he thought to himself, “Damn, she’s in the madness. She wants to be a part of it. She wants to support me and do things like that.”

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.