Taylor Swift’s connection to the Chiefs became ubiquitous during the 2023 NFL season after she started dating the team’s star tight end, Travis Kelce.
However, Swift actually holds a long-tenured connection to the team thanks to her connection to Kansas City head coach Andy Reid.
No, it isn’t a romantic relationship. As amusing as it might be to hear about Reid in one of Swift’s breakup songs, their connection is of a different nature, as demonstrated by Reid pointing at Swift during the Chiefs’ AFC championship celebration.
Andy Reid finds Taylor Swift in the crowd and points her way. Fun moment between the two. pic.twitter.com/5TtK5Gso55
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) January 28, 2024
So, what is Reid’s relationship with Swift? It dates back to when each was getting their first big break in their respective industries.
IYER: The 7 worst narratives for Super Bowl 58, from Brock Purdy to Taylor Swift
Andy Reid’s relationship with Taylor Swift, explained
Reid’s connection to Swift and her family dates back to his time in Philadelphia, as he explained recently on the “Let’s Go!” podcast with Tom Brady, Jim Gray and Larry Fitzgerald.
“I knew her before from Philadelphia. Her dad [Scott Swift] played at [University of] Delaware and was a big football fan and good guy,” Reid explained. “I had met him there, and her.”
Reid began coaching the Eagles in 1999 while Swift’s family was still living in Pennsylvania. They moved to Nashville in 2004 so that Taylor could pursue a music career, but they evidently connected with Reid during their five-year overlap in the state.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Swift’s father, Scott, found a way to meet Reid. His daughter described him as a “social butterfly” in her MySpace blog back in 2009, per People, so as a football fan, it’s only natural that he would find a way to meet Reid.
Still, the reveal surprised Kelce, as Reid noted in his conversation with Brady, Gray and Fitzgerald.
“That was the last thing Trav wanted to hear, that I knew her before him,” Reid said, laughing. “She told him, ‘I know your coach.’ And he went, ‘Oh, God, come on!'”
MORE: Yes, ‘Will Travis Kelce propose to Taylor Swift?’ is a real Super Bowl prop bet
Reid expressed that he was a fan of Swift and endorsed Kelce’s relationship with her.
“She’s a good girl,” Reid said of Swift. “And I’m happy for Trav.”
The Chiefs coach also noted that Swift’s fans have been “great” to the team and that the pop star’s presence hasn’t impacted the Chiefs as they compete for a second consecutive Super Bowl.
“There has been no distraction that way at all,” Reid said. “And Trav’s handled it right, she’s handled it right and we just move forward. So it hasn’t been a problem at all.”
Perhaps Reid would have felt differently if Swift had been present at Super Bowl 57, when the Chiefs faced the Eagles, Swift’s hometown team.
But at present, it looks like Reid is embracing Swift coming along for the ride as Kansas City looks to win its third Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era.
