How many pivotal moments in the NFL happen completely off the field, away from the cameras and the roar of the crowd? Just ask Ed Kelce, who revealed his son’s proposal “maybe two weeks, not quite two weeks ago,” long before the internet explosion. That’s the magic of football and fame—we obsess over fourth-down conversions and last-second field goals, but sometimes the most significant plays are the ones no one sees coming: a quiet dinner plan turned into a life-changing proposal, a small gesture at a concert that ripples years later into a cultural phenomenon. Isn’t that a butterfly effect?

Right now, there’s no phenomenon bigger than the engagement of Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift. The announcement, a perfectly crafted Instagram post captioned “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” didn’t just break the internet; it created a new one. From the White House to the Cleveland Browns’ schedule release team, everyone had something to say about the proposal heard ’round the world. The narrative felt almost too perfect, a fairytale romance between two titans of their industries. But what if the origin story we all thought we knew had a forgotten first chapter?

Enter Chase Daniel. The longtime NFL backup quarterback, who spent three seasons in Kansas City, just dropped a history lesson on Instagram that has everyone re-examining the timeline. In a reel, Daniel playfully staked his claim as the original cupid in this saga. “This picture was from 2015, Taylor Swift concert, got backstage, gave her an 89 jersey, just a couple numbers off,” Daniel narrated over a photo of himself, his wife, and Swift. “I threw him his first touchdown pass ever… And then I gave Taylor Swift her first ever Chiefs jersey. I may have started it all.”

It’s the kind of brilliant, tongue-in-cheek claim that only a journeyman QB with a front-row seat to history could make. Daniel’s post isn’t just a funny anecdote; it’s a perfect snapshot of the interconnectedness of the NFL world. He’s the guy who connected on a professional milestone with Travis Kelce—that first TD—and, as he humorously suggests, a personal one with Swift. His question, “Do you think she still has it?” is a classic bit of locker-room banter dropped into a pop culture earthquake. While he quickly added a genuine “Super happy for you guys,” the initial point landed with the precision of a sideline pass: the seeds for this moment may have been planted long before anyone was paying attention.

Jason Kelce, never one to shy away from amplifying his younger brother’s spotlight, added on the New Heights podcast: “The proposal heard ‘round the world.” That line wasn’t hyperbole. Between Swift’s pop superstardom and Travis’s Hall of Fame track career, their engagement blurred the lines between NFL news and global pop culture.

Chase Daniel shares personal milestone after matchmaking Travis Kelce and Swift

While the world was reacting to his role in the Swift-Kelce origin story, Daniel was celebrating a major milestone of his own. The former QB recently hit 100,000 subscribers on his YouTube channel, a platform he has built into a go-to source for authentic football analysis. He shared the news with humility, tweeting, “Didn’t think this would be possible when I started. I just wanted to help people see the game through a QB’s eyes, and now we’ve built this incredible football community together.” 

It’s a fascinating duality. In one breath, Daniel is the forgotten character in the biggest romance on the planet; in the next, he’s the architect of a thriving media brand. The two aren’t disconnected. The same sharp football mind and affable personality that made him a trusted backup for 13 seasons are precisely what make his content compelling. He knows how to read a defense, and apparently, he knows how to read the room, dropping his “cupid” video at the perfect cultural moment while continuing to build a community based on pure football knowledge.

So, what really makes a legacy in the league? Is it the highlight-reel plays or the number of rings? Or is it the connections made, the stories collected, and the ability to find your voice after the cleats are hung up? Chase Daniel may not have been the QB1 for most of his career, but he was there for the first touchdown and, just maybe, the first jersey. As he builds his next chapter one subscriber at a time, it’s a powerful reminder that the most interesting plays are often the ones you never see on the stat sheet.