Trevor Lawrence vs. Patrick Mahomes. The 3-1 Jacksonville Jaguars vs. the 2-2 Kansas City Chiefs. Monday Night Football’s return to the First Coast. For NFL fans, the countdown is on for Oct. 6 at EverBank Stadium.
But for countless music fans on the First Coast and beyond, there’s a different question occupying their minds.
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Is singer Taylor Swift, engaged since August to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, coming to Jacksonville for the Week 5 football matchup in the national MNF spotlight? Here’s what we know.
Is Taylor Swift coming to Jacksonville for the Jaguars-Chiefs Monday Night Football game?
Kansas City Chiefs TE Travis Kelce celebrates with Taylor Swift after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship Game in January.
Officially, we don’t know yet.
However, numerous reports indicate that Swift is booked to appear on “The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon” in New York on the night of the Jaguars-Chiefs game. That doesn’t leave a lot of room for football.
So far in the 2025 season, Swift’s only Chiefs appearances have been at Kansas City’s home field at Arrowhead Stadium. Her most recent trips for Chiefs road games came in January 2024 in the playoffs at Buffalo and at Baltimore.
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Unlike much of 2024, Swift is not currently touring and at least in theory may have had availability to make the Jacksonville trip for the spotlight of Monday Night Football, particularly considering the buzz surrounding her latest musical venture. (See below.)
It’s also possible that Swift could get a second chance to come to Jacksonville in January. If the Jaguars win the AFC South division — they’re currently tied at 3-1 with the Indianapolis Colts — Jacksonville would be the host for at least one playoff game and possibly more depending on AFC seeding. That could potentially place the Jaguars and Chiefs on a collision course.
Has Taylor Swift come to EverBank Stadium for the Chiefs’ most recent Jacksonville games?
So far, no.
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Since the start of their relationship in 2023, Kelce has twice lined up for the Chiefs in Jacksonville: on Sept. 17, 2023, a 17-9 Kansas City victory, and on Aug. 10, 2024, when the Jaguars won 26-13 in preseason. Swift didn’t attend either matchup. During the latter game, Swift was in a European portion of her now-concluded Eras Tour.
A 10-time Pro Bowler, Kelce has extensive experience against the Jags. He has recorded 23 catches for 353 yards in five regular-season games against Jacksonville, plus 14 receptions for 98 yards and two touchdowns when the teams tangled in the divisional playoffs for the 2022 season.
Taylor Swift: ‘Life of a Showgirl’ release
Even aside from Chiefs-Jaguars, Taylor Swift was already headed for the headlines this weekend.
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The singer’s 12th studio album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” was already scheduled for release on Friday, Oct. 3, only three days before the Chiefs-Jaguars kickoff. Accompanying that album is a film, “Taylor Swift: The Official Release Party of a Showgirl,” set for release on the same day.
Jacksonville-area Swifties have spent the week been building up excitement for that news: Two Jacksonville Target locations, one at the St. Johns Town Center and one on San Jose Boulevard in Mandarin, were among hundreds nationwide scheduled to open at midnight Friday for an exclusive album release.
When has Taylor Swift previously appeared in Jacksonville?
Whether she attends the game or not, Taylor Swift isn’t performing in concert in Jacksonville this week. But she’s no stranger to Northeast Florida, with three prior musical stops here.
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The first came at Veterans Memorial Arena on Aug. 10, 2007, when she sang at a country concert with Brad Paisley as the headliner. The Times-Union review at the time picked up on her talents: “It’s going to be interesting to see what happens to her career in the next few years.”
Swift also performed at Veterans Memorial Arena on May 1, 2009, during her Fearless Tour along with Kellie Pickler. Her most recent concert here was Nov. 11, 2011, on her Speak Now Tour.
This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Taylor Swift in Jacksonville? Singer’s plans for Jaguars-Chiefs MNF