Inside Travis Kelce's Dating Timeline: From Kayla Nicole to Taylor Swift

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end has had a number of noteworthy romances, and ET is taking a look back at his high profile love life.

Travis Kelce's rumored romance with Taylor Swift has taken the country by storm, elevating both the Kansas City Chiefs star's profile and the profile of the NFL in general.

The love affair between Travis and Taylor was sparked late last month when Swift came out to show Travis some support in the Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears.

Then, on Sunday, the obsession with the pair seemed to reach a fever pitch when Taylor and some of her famous friends -- including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman and Sophie Turner -- attended the Chiefs' game against the New York Jets.

While the pair's rumored relationship seems to have captured the imagination of Swifties across the nation, Kelce's own dating history has been a source of some mild drama. From his ex, Maya Benberry, calling him a "narcissist" and accusing him of cheating on her when they dated to ex Kayla Nicole unfriending Brittany Mahomes -- the wife of Travis' teammate Patrick Mahomes -- after Taylor and Brittany spent the night hanging out and partying.

Now, with the new burgeoning romance dominating headlines, ET is taking a look back at Travis' romantic past.

2016 -- 'Catching Kelce' and Dating Maya Benberry

Maya Benberry/Instagram

In October 2016, Travis starred in a reality dating series called Catching Kelce, in which 50 women --- each representing one of the states in the U.S. -- competed for the NFL star's affections, in a show that seemingly blended Miss America and the Bachelor.

Ultimately, Travis chose Maya Benberry -- who hailed from Kentucky -- as his ladylove. However, despite winning the show, the romance was rather short-lived. The pair dated for less than a year before calling it quits.

In September -- after Swift's appearance at the Chiefs' game at Arrowhead Stadium -- Maya spoke with the Daily Mail and accused Travis of not being faithful. Saying she could only give advice to Taylor based on Travis as "the man that I knew him to be when we dated," Maya said, "Only time will tell but like the saying always goes, once a cheater, always a cheater.'"

2017 - 2022 -- Dating Kayla Nicole

Karl Walter/Variety/Penske Media via Getty Images

After his romance with Maya came to an end, Travis sparked a new relationship with sports broadcaster and model Kayla Nicole, which lasted -- off-and-on -- through May 2022.

In March 2022, Kayla participated in an Instagram Q&A and revealed how the pair first crossed paths.

"He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months. All double taps and no DM," Kayla shared. "Soooo after a little liquid courage... I DM’d him on New Year's."

The pair sparked a romance after that exchange and were together until the summer of 2020, when they briefly split. However, they rekindled their romance once again and were going strong until their eventual split.

Notably, during their time together, Kayla became friends with Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. It seems this friendship may have come to an end, however, after Kayla unfollowed Brittany on Instagram last week.

Fans have speculated that the unfriending may be due to Brittany -- as well as Patrick, whom Kayla also unfollowed -- spending time with Taylor and Travis during the week and getting to know each other.

Kayla took to her Instagram story to share a post that read "For the ones JUST watching to see if I'm going to make it... I AM," which Kayla added, "Spoiler alert."

Kayla Nicole/Instagram

Many say the quasi-cryptic post is an assurance that Kayla is OK.

While neither Travis nor Kayla confirmed the reason behind their split in 2022, Travis adamantly shut down cheating rumors, tweeting, "This is fake news… a lie… and not why Kayla and I broke up… take all your hatred somewhere else please."

October 2022 -- (Rumored to be) Dating Zuri Hall

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

A few months after Kayla and Travis called it quits for good, the NFL star sparked new romance rumors with entertainment reporter Zuri Hall.

Zuri was spotted watching a Chiefs game from inside Travis' suite -- the same place Swift watched the game with Travis' mom, Donna Kelce -- and the pair were reportedly seen spending time together in photos posted by some of Travis' teammates.

While the pair never officially commented on the speculation regarding their possible fling, some fans noticed that Kayla and Zuri -- who had once followed each other on social media -- suddenly unfollowed each other right at the start of the rumors. Although Kayla has also not commented on the speculation.

July 2023 -- The Eras Tour

Fernando Leon/TAS23/Getty Images

Taylor brought her record-breaking Eras Tour to the Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, where Travis saw the show and was blown away by the singer.

During an episode of his podcast, New Heights, Travis told his brother and co-host, Jason Kelce, how he tried to get Swift his phone number at the event.

"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 said, "so I was a little butthurt I didn't get to hand her one of the bracelets I made for her."

Jason seemed surprised by his brother's bracelet reveal, but Travis was all too happy to explain the significance of the accessory. 

"If you're up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets," Travis said. "I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it."

That didn't exactly work out, as Travis noted, "She doesn't meet anybody, or at least she didn't want to meet me, so I took it personally."

During an interview on The Pat McAfee Show, Travis revealed that he later invited Swift to watch him play.

"I threw the ball in her court. I told her, '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," he said. "We'll see what happens in the near future."

September 2023 -- Taylor Swift

 

Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Before Taylor's appearance at the Chiefs' game against the Bears, it seemed the singer actually spent some quality time with Travis and his family. Then, after hanging out for a bit, they all boarded a party bus to go to Arrowhead Stadium for the game.

Taylor spent much of the time cheering Travis on, laughing with his mom and enjoying the game to its fullest, as the Chiefs trounced the Bears. 

Travis later addressed Taylor cheering him on in a new episode of his New Heights podcast -- which he co-hosts with his brother -- and he revealed what Mama Kelce, dad Ed Kelce, and his close friends had to say about the pop star. 

"Shout-out to Taylor for pulling up, that was pretty ballsy," he said. "I just thought it was awesome how everyone in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her. You know, the friends and family."

"She looked amazing, everybody was talking about her in a great light," he added with a smile.

Her appearance at the Chiefs game against the Jets on Sunday brought the relationship to a whole new level in terms of publicity. The game was reportedly one of the most watched NFL games since the Super Bowl (which the Chiefs won, just to point out).

Taylor was joined by a bevy of famous friends including Blake Lively, Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, Sophie Turner, as well as her brother and her friend and backup singer Melanie Nyema. She also got in a hug with Donna as the Chiefs beat the Jets 23-20.

Recently, a source told ET that Travis and Taylor are "excited about where things are headed" between them.

“When Taylor and Travis first connected, Taylor was looking to have fun while enjoying some downtime," the source said. "So far, it’s been a nice change of pace for her. Now, as things progress between Taylor and Travis, they're both looking to keep it more private. They're both excited about where things are headed."

For more on the high-profile rumored romance, see the video below.

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