Travis Kelce has never attended the Met Gala — but May 1 sparked fresh speculation that’s about to change.

The 35-year-old NFL star was spotted in New York City last week for an American Eagle shoot, dressed in a white cable-knit sweater with green accents, cream trousers, and sneakers.

Just five days ahead of fashion’s biggest night, the timing didn’t go unnoticed — especially in a year where athletes are reportedly high on the guest list.

Is Travis Kelce Going to the Met Gala in 2025?

Kelce has never made a Met Gala appearance — but with the Costume Institute’s 2025 exhibit, “Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,” placing a spotlight on NBA and WNBA athletes, this could be the moment.

Stylists are reportedly building red carpet looks around taller, athletic builds, which could make a Met debut by someone like Kelce feel more intentional than last-minute.

Swifties have already connected the dots: Kelce’s longtime friendship with honorary Met Gala co-chair LeBron James, a skipped weekend of high-profile sporting events (the Kentucky Derby and Miami F1), and his sudden NYC appearance?

While there is a good chance he was simply shooting an advertisement, fans couldn’t help but speculate as photos of the football star in NYC started circulating. (You can see the photos here.)

His absence from other high-profile spring events hasn’t gone unnoticed either.

Fans were quick to point out that Kelce skipped both the Derby and Miami’s Formula 1 race — appearances he’s made in previous years. For Swifties, that was enough to suggest he’s trading his usual sports circuit for fashion’s biggest stage.

Still, the fact that Kelce unfollowed Ryan Reynolds last week amid rumors that Swift’s friendship with Blake Lively and the Deadpool star is in trouble, combined with the fact that he and Swift have been laying low since the Kansas City Chiefs lost the Super Bowl in February, might mean that Kelce is staying away from the Met Gala this year.

Is Taylor Swift Going to the Met Gala in 2025?

That’s the other question. Taylor Swift hasn’t confirmed — but then again, she never does. Since co-chairing in 2016, Swift has skipped the Met entirely.

That year was its own micro-era: her platinum bob, the now-infamous seating chart moment with Tom Hiddleston, and a post-Calvin Harris pivot that ended up in her Reputation years.

Fans still point to lyrics from “Dress” as a nod to the night: “Flashback when you met me / Your buzz cut and my hair bleached.”

Between a rumored rift with Met Gala regular Blake Lively and what insiders say is a deliberate step back from public events post-Eras Tour, Swift has every reason to keep things quiet.

Page Six reports she’s “simply enjoying some alone time with Travis and being under the radar for a little bit” — swapping red carpets for quiet dinners and ski weekends.

Still, Swift remains the most-searched Met Gala personality on Google ahead of the event, and fans are holding onto hope that her nine-year break is about to end.

If she does show, it wouldn’t just be a return — it would mark her first-ever red carpet appearance with a boyfriend — and she would join the ranks of other couples who made their red carpet debut at the Met Gala. For Swift, who’s mastered the art of the reveal, that’s the kind of entrance she doesn’t make lightly.

So far, there’s no confirmation from either camp. But with Kelce’s NYC sighting, an athlete-friendly guest list, and both of their schedules wide open, fans are watching closely.

If there’s one thing Kelce has shown time and time again, it’s that he’s always down for a good time.