While some NFL fans have had enough of Taylor Swift’s appearances during Kansas City Chiefs‘ game broadcasts, it’s clear Andy Reid hasn’t. In fact, the three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach believes the 14-time Grammy winner has played a big, though overlooked, role in helping Travis Kelce get off to a great start in what many speculate will be his last season in the league.
Swift attended Week 2’s Sunday Night Football between the Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts at Arrowhead Stadium, just like she did in Week 1 when Kansas City hosted another primetime game against the Denver Broncos. She was a privileged spectator to a dominant performance by her husband, Kelce. Following the Chiefs’ buzzer-beater win over the Colts in overtime, Reid made a sincere statement about Kelce’s wife’s role in his recent success.
“[Kelce] worked his tail off, that’s the bottom line. He likes his surrounding cast that’s around him, too. It sure helps. It takes a lot of pride in that. Everybody questioned with the wedding and honeymoon, would he be out of shape? He works his rear end off. I think Taylor [Swift], you’re putting on four-hour shows, you’ve gotta work hard, too. I’m sure she kicks him in the butt a little bit there, too,” Reid said during an interview on KSHB 41 News.
Iron sharpens iron. Since the couple got together, there were concerns about whether Swift would be a distraction to Kelce on gameday as the spotlight shifted onto the Kelce family suite at Arrowhead Stadium. That couldn’t have been any further from the truth, and since the two superstars wed in the summer in New York City, they’ve only been off to a great start, which is best exemplified by Kelce’s numbers in the 2026 NFL season.
Taylor Swift celebrates with Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kelce’s red-hot start to 2026
While Reid faces a challenge in balancing Kenneth Walker III and Emmett Johnson’s touches in the backfield, it’s clear he has no worries when it comes to the tight-end position. Not as long as Kelce is playing the way he’s done so far in the 2026 NFL season.
After dealing with retirement rumors all offseason long and coming off a disheartening 2025 campaign in which he finished with a third-career-worst 76 receptions, second-worst 851 yards and five touchdowns, something has clicked for Kelce. Reid has reasons to believe it has to do with his wedding, held on July 3 at Madison Square Garden.
Indeed, the sample size remains small, but Kelce’s first two outings of the season are more than encouraging. So far, Kelce has caught 12 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown. At this pace, he’s projected to finish the season with 102 catches, 1,462 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
It goes without saying, but those would be impressive numbers for a 36-year-old (turns 37 on Oct. 5) many believe is playing his last season in the NFL. If he finishes the year with these numbers, however, it won’t take long before fans in Kansas City, and Reid included, grow convinced there’s still a lot left in the tank.
The Chiefs are back
There will be time for that conversation later. For the time being, Reid and the Chiefs will enjoy this reborn version of Kelce, which Swift may deserve a lot of credit for. In perfect “Love Story” fashion, there is a new prince and princess in The City of Fountains, and that’s just what the Chiefs Kingdom needed.
Patrick Mahomes is healthy, Andy Reid is still Andy Reid, and Travis Kelce is back to his old ways. The sky is the limit for Kansas City, and the NFL must take cover before the sky is painted red.
Key takeaways
- Andy Reid credited Taylor Swift’s work ethic for motivating her husband’s strong season start.
- Travis Kelce caught 12 passes for 172 yards and a touchdown through two games.
- The couple officially married on July 3 at Madison Square Garden in New York.
