Tyler Hynes and Jannel Parrish. Getty Images (2)
The Kansas City Chiefs are finding the romance in football this NFL season.
The team’s official social media page teased a short clip of an upcoming trailer starring Tyler Hynes and Jannel Parrish on Tuesday, January 9, titled Falling for Football, in which a Chiefs fan, played by Hynes, must choose between his love for his favorite team or his girlfriend, portrayed by Parrish.
The clip begins with Parrish catching Hynes shopping for Chiefs fan gear. “You’re not just a fan, it’s your livelihood,” she says through tears, declaring “it’s the Chiefs of me” before running away. As Hynes begins to chase after her, he stops to yell, “Come on, Amber … no one hates football.”
According to the Chiefs, the full trailer — which appears to be a playful spoof on Hynes and Parrish’s Hallmark movies — will be dropping Wednesday, January 9. “Nobody hates football… catch the full trailer of Falling for Football tomorrow morning ❤️,” the team captioned the post.
It’s unclear if the trailer will simply be a promo for the team or precede an actual TV movie, but the team also posted a poster via their Instagram that channels Hallmark’s famous Christmas romances, writing, “‘Tis the postseason, and it ain’t a holiday without a little made-for-TV movie magic.”
The artwork features Hynes and Parrish lovingly staring into each other’s eyes with a Chiefs logo between them along with the words, “Coming to a stadium near you.”
Donna Kelce reposted the poster via her Instagram Story, causing some fans to speculate if Falling for Football is inspired by her son — and Kansas City Chiefs tight end — Travis Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift.
“If this isn’t the true story of Taylor and Travis, I’m out. 😂,” one fan wrote in the comments section of the Chiefs’ post. Another added, “OK marketing. This is great😂👏,” while a third user joked that the Chiefs “missed the opportunity to not have Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift as the main characters 😂.”
Hynes, for his part, commented:”It’s me. Hi. I’m the problem it’s me. 🏉.”
Falling for Football isn’t the first time that Travis and Swift’s romance has been referenced in congruence with NFL promotional material. Last month, a promo that aired on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown featured Hallmark screenwriter Julie Sherman Wolfe explaining how the 2023-2024 football season has felt akin to a Christmas movie she’d pen for her network.
Wolfe, who has written 24 movies for Hallmark, explains in the video that like her films, the NFL has been “full of twists and turns” and “moments of pure joy.” As she shares that there has also been “unexpected romance” for some players, the screen flashes to a moment of Travis, 34, on the field as Swift, also 34, cheers for him in the stands.
“Yes, someone’s heart might get broken, and not everyone gets the big kiss at the end, but the one thing that remains, especially at Christmas, is love,” she continues. “And eventually, everyone will have their storybook ending. It is Hallmark, after all.”
Travis and Swift’s relationship has been the Hallmark-esque love story of the NFL since the pair were first linked in September 2023. The couple have made a point to support each other in their respective careers in the past months, which means Swift has popped up at various Chiefs games all over the country.
It was a banner year for Hallmark romances and mysteries, with the network dropping some of our all-time favorite made-for-TV movies before and during the Christmas season. Network staple Andrew Walker re-teamed with Nikki DeLoach twice in 2023 for new installments in their Curious Caterer series on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. (After costarring in Dying […]
While some fans of the sport have pushed back on the heavy coverage of Swift during games, Swift previously shared during her December 2023 TIME cover story that isn’t concerned with the “Dads, Brads and Chads” she may upset by showing up for her boyfriend.
“When you say a relationship is public, that means 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,” Swift explained. “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. And we’re just proud of each other.”