Alexandra Schonfeld is a features writer at PEOPLE. She has been working at PEOPLE since April 2022. Her work previously appeared in Newsweek.

Before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce took off in a “getaway car” after his Sept. 24 game at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, the two-time Super Bowl champion had made his admiration for Swift known.

Dating back to a 2016 interview when the Kansas City Chiefs tight end said he’d “kiss” Swift during an innocent game, to dishing about his weekend in New York City with the singer that included an appearance on SNL and a date night at Nobu, here is everything Kelce has said about the “Anti-Hero” singer since relationship buzz began.

Years before the rumors started to swirl of a romance between the Chiefs player and Grammy winner, Kelce was asked to play a game of “Kill, Marry, Kiss” while promoting his show Catching Kelce.

When asked on the segment of Afterbuzz TV who he’d select for each category if given the options of Swift, Ariana Grande and Katy Perry, Kelce reluctantly voted Grande out first before saying he’d kiss Swift and marry Perry.

A few weeks after Kelce was spotted in the stands at The Eras Tour during Swift’s July 2023 stop in Kansas City, the football player revealed that he tried to meet the “Lavender Haze” singer after the show.

“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,” Kelce said on his podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, which he co-hosts with his NFL player brother.

“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets, and I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it,” he added.

In August, before the NFL season officially kicked off, Kelce sat down with his brother for an episode of their podcast in which the Philadelphia Eagles player asked his brother about the singer — subtly.

When Jason noted that Kelce had “brought back the mustache,” he later asked if his little brother had “found out what Taylor Swift thinks” of the new facial hair.

“We’re not going to bring up Taylor Swift in his episode,” Kelce responded with a smile as his brother laughed, before adding, “but something tells me she’s gonna like it.”

As the rumor mill continued to churn about what was going on between the two stars, Kelce addressed the chatter during an interview on The Pat McAfee Show.

He told the host that he “threw the ball in [Swift’s] court” by telling her “I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead [Stadium]. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit.”

He added, “We’ll see what happens in the near future.”

And the near future came sooner rather than later! Just days after Kelce revealed that he had extended the invite, Swift showed up to his Sept. 24 game at Arrowhead Stadium. Throughout the game, cameras panned to the singer, who was seated in Kelce’s suite alongside his mother, Donna Kelce. After the game, the pair left together in his convertible.

Days afterward, Kelce opened up about the exciting evening on his podcast.

“I’m enjoying life and I sure as hell enjoyed this weekend,” he said in an episode released Sept. 27.

“Shout out to Taylor for pulling up. That was pretty ballsy,” Kelce admitted before adding, “I just thought it was awesome how everybody in the suite had nothing but great things to say about her — the friends and family. She looked amazing and everybody was talking about her in great light.”

He continued, “To see the slow motion chest bumps, to see the high fives with Mom, to see how, you know, Chiefs kingdom was all excited that she was there — that s— was absolutely hysterical and it was definitely a game I’ll remember, that’s for damn sure.”

He then referenced their exit after the game sharing, “And then we just slid off in the getaway car at the end,” seemingly nodding to one of Swift’s songs, “Getaway Car.” “Took my Chevelle to the game … shout out to Taylor for coming through and seeing me rock the stage.”

Kelce kicked off an Oct. 6 press conference by telling reporters he was thrilled with the Chiefs’ three consecutive wins and was focused on “trying to get to four in a row” that Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. The NFL star added, “As all the attention comes … it feels like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now I’m even more on top of the world.”

In response to how he’s been handling all of the new eyes on him amid the rumored relationship with Swift, the tight end said he’s “learning” how to navigate “paparazzi just taking photos from all over the place” after photographers have started waiting for him at his Kansas City home.

Kelce said he understands the territory that comes with Swift’s level of fame, however. “You’ve got a lot of people that care about Taylor, and for good reason,” he continued.

Going forward, the NFL star said he’s “just got to keep living and learning and enjoying the moments” as he and Swift enjoy getting to know one another on a public stage. Besides, “at the end of the day, I’ve always been pretty good about compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building, so I’ll just keep rolling with that,” he added.

On the Oct. 18 episode of his New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast, Kelce spilled about his previous weekend adventures in New York City, which included a visit to SNL.

“It was electric to be back in that place,” Kelce shared of his SNL cameo after previously hosting the show earlier this year. “There is just something about being in that room. And being their first episode this season, I had such a freaking blast man.”

Kelce thanked producer Lorne Michaels for welcoming him (and Swift!) to the show and added that they “showed up at SNL having the idea of going, supporting Ice Spice. Her and Taylor are good friends.”

Jason and Kelce also dove into the internet chatter surrounding the photos and videos that emerged from the budding couple’s various outings, which saw Kelce helping the “Maroon” singer in and out of the car and holding her hand.

“I feel like whenever I’m on a date I’m always having the sense of like, I’m a man in the situation, I’m like protective, yeah for sure,” Kelce said. “You always kind of have that feeling — or that self-awareness, I guess.”

The brothers also discussed what it was like to see Swift chatting it up with their dad, Ed Kelce, at the Oct. 12 Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium.

“Papa Kelce in the spotlight,” Jason said during the Oct. 18 episode. “If you were watching the game, you saw something momentous happen, which was Taylor Swift talking to Ed Kelce.”

“You know Dad like I know Dad,” Kelce chimed in. “This is a terrifying conversation. I felt terrible for Taylor for being in this.”

“If you see Dad talking to anybody and you can’t hear what’s happening, who knows where that conversation’s going,” Jason added before both brothers agreed that when it comes to their mom Donna, they don’t have to worry.

“It’s delightful, it’s gonna be a wonderful conversation,” Kelce said of his mom, who has previously been spotted with Swift during games.

On a late October episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Kelce opened up to his brother Jason about his improved performance on the field when Swift is there to cheer him on.

The Philadelphia Eagles center said, “When T Swift is at the game, you are averaging 99 yards and when you are left with only your friends and remaining family there, you are at 46.5 yards a game.”

Kelce replied, “It’s kind of hard for me to wrap my head around that sentence.”

The brothers also talked about the support Kelce’s coach, Andy Reid has shown for the budding romance. “It appears that Big Red is noticing it because he weighed in in his post-game press conference,” Jason said. “He was asked about your big game and his response was, ‘Kelce keeps getting better with time, Taylor can stay around all she wants.’ ”

The tight end replied, “Listen, when you’re getting Big Red’s approval and blessings, you know you’re doing something right.”

Days later, when a reporter at a Kansas City Chiefs press conference asked Kelce if he’s “in love,” he replied with a smile, “I’m going to keep my personal relationship personal.”

A lot happened during Kelce’s whirlwind visit to Argentina to see Swift perform in early November: the pair had a date night after Swift had to postpone a show, Kelce hung out with the singer’s dad and Swift surprised her boyfriend with a shout-out in her song, “Karma.”

“We got some good food, man — had some empanadas and steak. They’re big on all the different cuts of meat,” he told brother Jason of the local cuisine during the Nov. 15 New Heights podcast. “Got some good steak down there, man.”

On the downside, Swift “wasn’t too happy about” having to postpone a concert due to thunderstorms, Kelce added. “But when it’s unsafe to her and her crew and everybody in the stadium you gotta do what you gotta do.” Plus, he said, “I think it ended up being perfect, everybody got to go.”

The bonus time, however, gave Kelce a chance to convert Swift’s dad Scott from a Philadelphia Eagles fan to a Kansas City Chiefs fan, he joked on the podcast.

In an interview for the cover of WSJ. Magazine’s December/January issue, Kelce dived in to the start of his relationship with Swift and how it has all progressed since.

Though he first said, “I don’t know if I want to get into all of it,” he later added color to the story of how they were first connected following an unsuccessful attempt at meeting her at the Eras Tour.

“There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: Yo! Did you know he was coming? I had somebody playing Cupid,” Kelce told the outlet.

“She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out,” he said of when Swift eventually got in contact with him.

Kelce said the pair’s first official meet-up came after they’d already established a line of communication.

“When I met her in New York, we had already kind of been talking, so I knew we could have a nice dinner and, like, a conversation, and what goes from there will go from there,” he said.

Being with Swift, he continued, is a whole new ballgame, as he’s “never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them,” he said.

“I’ve never dealt with it,” Kelce added of Swift. “But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it…. The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day, paparazzi outside her house, outside every restaurant she goes to, after every flight she gets off, and she’s just living, enjoying life. When she acts like that I better not be the one acting all strange.”

He said that spending time getting to know Swift has been eye-opening, admitting, “I’ve never been a man of words. Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been f—— mind-blowing. I’m learning every day.”

Throughout the 2023-2024 NFL season, Swift was spotted cheering Kelce on across the country from games in Kansas City, New Jersey, Green Bay, Foxborough, Buffalo and Baltimore. While appearing on The Pat McAfee Show in late January, Kelce said he “loves” the support from Swift.

“I love it when Taylor comes and supports me and enjoys the game with the fam and friends,” Kelce said. “It’s been nothing but a wonderful year, man.”

Elsewhere in the chat, he said when it comes down to it, “we’re just two people supporting each other and having fun with it, man.”

He continued, “It’s nothing more than that, and how much the world wants to paint the picture and make us the enemy, we just have fun with it, and we enjoy every single bit of it.”

Also during his appearance on Pat McAfee’s show, Kelce shined a light on exactly when the pair got in touch initially.

“We had known each other for close to a month up to that point,” he said about her first appearance at one of his games on Sept. 24, 2023, when the Chiefs faced off against the Chicago Bears.

“It wasn’t just an out-of-the-blue, ‘Hey, come to the game,’ ” he added.

Ahead of the Super Bowl, Kelce was asked about how it felt to celebrate his AFC Championship win with his loved ones — including Swift!

Sweet videos from the on-field celebrations showed Kelce kissing and hugging Swift and even telling the superstar, “I love you.”

While speaking at a press conference, Kelce said the celebrations were “another memory in the journey that we get to cherish, man.”

“And I’m fortunate that I got all the support I need off the field,” he added. “And, you know, it gives me a reason to play that much harder on the field is the people you just mentioned.”

While chatting about the exciting moment on an episode of New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce, Travis told Jason: “Shoutout to Tay, thanks for joining the team,” after the Philadelphia Eagles center joked that Swift had “reached the Super Bowl in her rookie year.”

After Swift made the exciting announcement that she was dropping a new album later this year while accepting her 13th Grammy Award on Feb. 4, Kelce revealed that he has already heard “some of” the new project.

“I have heard some of it, yes. And it is unbelievable,” he told reporters of the upcoming Tortured Poets Department. “I can’t wait for her to shake up the world when it finally drops.”

Kelce was also sure to shoutout Swift’s history-making night when she became the first artist to win album of the year four times.

“She’s unbelievable. She’s re-writing the history books herself,” he said. “I told her I’ll have to hold up my end of the bargain and come home with hardware, too.”

Speaking to CBS’ Tracey Wolfson ahead of the Chiefs’ Super Bowl appearance (and win!), Kelce emphasized how much fun he’s had over the past few months of dating Swift.

“It’s been an unexpected ride that I’ve just been having a blast with,” he said.

And as for those conspiracy theorists who think the whole thing is for the cameras?

“You’re all crazy,” he said with a laugh. “Every last one of you is crazy.”

With his Super Bowl win coming just seven days after her record-breaking Grammys win, Kelce can only describe their big week in one way: “Man, it’s on top of the world right now, baby. It’s a good feeling,” he told reporters who asked how they were both celebrating.