Why ESPN's Adam Schefter Is Fueling Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift Engagement Rumors

When it comes to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce’s love story, the rumors that the Grammy winner may have said yes continue to persist.

And ESPN’s NFL Insider Adam Schefter only added fuel to the fire when he pondered whether the couple would indeed be tying the knot.

“I have a question,” he said to NFL Live host Laura Rutledge Aug. 26 after she mentioned that the Kansas City Chief player had recently invested in a racehorse named Swift Delivery, but not an engagement ring. “How do you know that Travis Kelce didn’t buy an engagement ring?”

The eyebrow-raising comment prompted Rutledge to ask for clarification from Schefter.

“I don’t know, do you know?” she replied. “Are you going to break some big news here?”

Following her question, Schefter appeared to be frozen with his lips sealed in a slight smirk, unsure how to respond.

“All I did was ask a question about how Laura knew he hadn’t bought an engagement ring,” he explained. “That’s all I was doing.”

But the NFL Live panelists, including Booger McFarland and Andrew Hawkins, would not let the moment pass, which led to further questions about any hidden insight he might have into the famous pairing’s relationship.

“The awkward silence right there speaks volumes, Schefty,” McFarland said. “Do you know something, Schefty? America wants to know.”

Following McFarland’s question, another round of noticeable silence can be felt before Schefter doubled down on his lack of knowledge and repeated his previous response.

After some continued ribbing from his cohosts, there was one final plea for Travis and Taylor tea, with Rutledge begging, “Break news for the Swifties. We’re all waiting here.”

As for Schefter, while he remained mum on camera he teased he may give his NFL colleagues some off-the-record commentary, quipping, “Boog, I’ll call you offline. I’ll call you offline, Boog.”

It’s no surprise that Swifties and NFL fans alike are invested in the NFL star and singer’s winning romance. Since sparks between the two began flying last year, Taylor, 34, has supported Travis, also 34, at several Kansas City Chiefs games and he’s returned the favor by flying all over the world to see her Eras Tour concerts—and even took the stage with her in June.

“Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been…mind-blowing,” Travis gushed about the "Karma" singer in a November interview with The Wall Street Journal. “I’m learning every day.”

Read on for a look back at Taylor and Travis’s romance.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's love story began in July 2023, when the singer's Eras Tour made a stop at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo.

As a huge Swiftie, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end caught the show with hopes of giving Taylor a friendship bracelet with his number on it. However, he failed to complete the pass due to her pre-show rituals.

"I was disappointed that she doesn't talk before or after her shows because she has to save her voice for the 44 songs that she sings," Travis shared on the July 26 episode of his New Heights podcast. "So, I was a little butt-hurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."

After publicly recounting his fumble—a move Taylor would later describe as "metal as hell"—Travis decided to shoot his shot and invite the Grammy winner to watch the Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium.

"I threw it out there, I threw the ball in her court," he shared on The Pat McAfee Show. "I told her, you know, 'I've seen you rock the stage in Arrowhead, you might have to come see me rock the stage in Arrowhead and see which one's a little more lit.' So, we'll see what happens in the near future."

Travis was rocking a mustache—which he debuted in August during training camp—when he was first introduced to Taylor.

As he later noted of the era, "That 'stache and the 87 jersey was pretty iconic there for a little bit, and I had it when I met Taylor for the first time."

By early September, a source close to the situation told E! News that Travis and Taylor were "texting and talking here and there."

"It's been very low-key," the insider explained, "as he's been in season."

Accepting Travis' invite, Taylor joined the athlete's mom Donna Kelce at Arrowhead Stadium to watch him and the Chiefs take on the Chicago Bears. After the game, Taylor and Travis were seen packing PDA at a local bar.

Though folklore had it that it was the couple's first in-person meeting, the "Karma" singer later clarified the two had spent a "significant amount of time" getting to know each other beforehand.

As Taylor noted, "We would never be psychotic enough to hard launch a first date." 

As an indication that the relationship was heating up, Taylor brought her squad—including friends Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Sophie Turner, Hugh Jackman, Sabrina Carpenter and Antoni Porowski—to watch the Chiefs play against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Another sign that Travis could be The 1? Taylor started bonding with Brittany Mahomes—the wife of Travis' BFF and teammate Patrick Mahomes—in and outside of NFL games.

The couple took their romance to TV, making a surprise appearance on the Oct. 14 episode of Saturday Night Live. Their Big Apple takeover also included the after-party for the NBC sketch show and a date night at the Waverly Inn.

During a bye week, Travis traveled down to Argentina to catch the South American leg of Taylor's Eras Tour. Not only did the NFL star bond with Taylor's dad, Scott Swift, at the Nov. 11 show in Buenos Aires, but he also got a special shoutout from the stage.

"Karma is that guy on the Chiefs," Taylor sang, "coming straight home to me."

After the show, the Midnights artist was seen running up to Travis backstage and greeting him with a passionate kiss.

Taylor addressed the lavender craze surrounding her appearances at Travis' games.

"I'm going to see him do what he loves, we're showing up for each other, other people are there and we don't care," she told Time. "The opposite of that is you have to go to an extreme amount of effort to make sure no one knows that you're seeing someone."

The music superstar turned Travis' Dec. 17 game into a family affair, bringing her dad to cheer on her man.

Taylor and Travis spent their first New Year's Eve together, sharing a romantic kiss when the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1.

Continuing to bond with Travis' family, Taylor hung out with his brother Jason Kelce and sister-in-law Kylie Kelce at the Chiefs' game against the Buffalo Bills.

Taylor joined Travis on the football field when the Chiefs won the AFC Championship, a victory that cemented the team's spot in the 2024 Super Bowl. The couple shared a celebratory kiss before exchanging the L-word.

"Tay, I'm gonna enjoy with the guys," he told her. "I love you—so much it's not funny."

The pair locked lips on the field after Travis led the Kansas City Chiefs to victory on Feb. 11, 2024 in Las Vegas.

Taylor posted footage of Travis on social media for the first time Feb. 12, poking fun at how she took her parents clubbing with the athlete after the Super Bowl.

Taylor's first Instagram pic featuring Travis was a selfie of the two with Prince William and his and wife Kate Middleton's eldest kids Prince George and Princess Charlotte backstage at the singer's Eras tour show at Wembley Stadium in London.

While attending his seventh Eras tour concert, and second show at London's Wembley Stadium, the NFL star joined his girlfriend onstage as a backup performer during her performance of "I Can Do It With a Broken Heart."