Getty Chiefs TE Travis Kelce and Popstar Taylor Swift after AFC Championship game against Ravens.
The Baltimore Ravens are one of the favorites in the AFC to represent the conference in the Super Bowl. One of the teams that currently stand in the way of the Ravens, and have won the AFC the last two seasons, is the Kansas City Chiefs led by the tandem of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh spoke with US Magazine and had a joking message for the TE Kelce and his superstar girlfriend Taylor Swift. Harbaugh joked with Daniel Trainor of US Magazine, “I hope they get married… I hope they have a bunch of kids. Heck, maybe he’ll get ready to retire here pretty soon to pursue that family aspect of his life.”
Kelce is one of the most dominant TE’s to ever play in the NFL and has been Mahomes favorite target for most of his career. Kelce and Swift started a high-profile romance during the 2023 season that took the league by storm.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh says that he encourages Travis Kelce to marry Taylor Swift and retire. 👀😂
Trainor wrote, “Once Swift, 34, started dating Kansas City Chiefs star Kelce, also 34, in summer 2023, Harbaugh couldn’t help but wonder if it might expedite the decorated tight end’s exit from the league, giving the coach and his staff one less headache to have to worry about.”
The Chiefs have won the past two Super Bowls and Kelce has been a major reason in both seasons for the domination.
Harbaugh was clearly joking and according to Trainor, went on to wish the couple the best and said he is, “rooting for them.”
Taylor Swift & Travis Kelce Romance Benefited the NFL
While not all fans have not been thrilled with the spotlight that Swift brought to NFL Sundays, and what seemed like constant camera shots of the star, the NFL was certainly content with the financial impact created.
The Swifties brought with them more eyes, jersey sales, views and what seemed like a new audience the NFL tried to tap into. Front Office Sports’ Margaret Fleming analyzed the estimated economic impact the popstar brought.
Fleming wrote, “Swift has generated an equivalent brand value of $331.5 million for the Kansas City Chiefs and the NFL, Apex Marketing Group tells Front Office Sports.”
Matt Johnson of “Sportsnaut” examined how much the NFL made in 2023-24 and wrote, “It’s estimated that NFL revenue during the 2023-’24 approached $20 billion.”
The $331.5 million may seem small in comparison to the total revenue but that means Swift alone was worth about 2%.
Fleming wrote, “That number calculated Jan. 22, comes from print, digital, radio, tv, highlights and social media.” Swifties seemed to take the league by storm as, “Travis Kelce’s jersey sales exploded, increasing by roughly 400% after Swift’s first appearance,” Fleming explained.
Chiefs Standing in the Way of the Ravens yet Again
The Ravens’ 2023 season was ended in the AFC conference championship by Kelce and the Chiefs as they fell 17-10.
Baltimore was the No. 1 seed and had homefield advantage at M&T Bank Stadium, but it was not enough to take down the reigning champion.
Kelce proved to be too much to handle for the vaunted Ravens’ defense as the TE put up 11 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown (most in the first half).
Baltimore’s defense gave up all 17 points in the first half of the game before Roquan Smith and Kyle Hamilton stepped up to close the door defensively. Unfortunately, the Ravens’ offense was also stymied for a majority of the game as key turnovers prevented them reaching their goal.
Heading into 2024 both teams made key moves to retain key players like DT’s Justin Madubuike and Chris Jones. The Ravens brought in RB Derrick Henry to improve their running game with the anticipation of running into the Chiefs again.
If the Ravens hope to get over the hump and make the Super Bowl, they may need to take down the reigning champs.