Chiefs’ Star Power Boosts NFL Ratings and Player Merch Sales Surge

The Chiefs are 3–0 to start the season, and although Patrick Mahomes said they still need to play better, there’s no question Kansas City is driving more interest in the NFL than any other franchise at the moment. 

That’s coming from continued intrigue surrounding the Chiefs’ two-time MVP signal-caller, of course, but also their four-time All-Pro tight end who is dating a global icon, and even the team’s strong-legged, outspoken kicker. 

Must-See TV

Each of Kansas City’s first three games have set some sort of notable TV viewership record. 

Most recently, the Chiefs’ 22–17 victory over the Falcons was NBC’s most-watched Week 3 Sunday Night Football game, with 25.1 million viewers. 

That came after Chiefs-Bengals in Week 2 was the most-watched September NFL game on CBS since 1998, as 27.9 million people tuned in to the last-second 26–25 win over Cincinnati. And to open the season, Kansas City’s 27–20 victory over the Ravens drew a record NFL kickoff game audience of 28.9 million on NBC. 

On Sunday, CBS gets the Chiefs again as they visit the Chargers in the late-afternoon window.

Butker Still in Spotlight

Harrison Butker was responsible for the game-winning field goal against the Bengals, and he is 7-of-7 to start the season (although he has missed one extra point) after becoming the NFL’s highest-paid kicker this offseason thanks to a four-year, $26 million deal.

Last week, Butker became just the second placekicker to appear on the NFLPA Top 50 Player Sales List, which ranks all officially licensed, NFL player–branded merchandise sold from online and traditional retail outlets.

Butker placed 11th in sales from March 1 to May 31. He was one of four Chiefs players in the top 50, alongside Mahomes (second), Travis Kelce (12th), and running back Isiah Pacheco (32nd). Butker’s controversial commencement speech at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kans., was made May 11. A more specific timeline of the jersey sales wasn’t revealed. 

The only other kicker to appear on the list is Evan McPherson, who ranked 36th in sales from March 1 to May 31, 2022, following a rise to stardom during the 2021 NFL playoffs thanks to several game-winning kicks. McPherson fell off the list the next quarter and did not place on that year-end tally, either.

Taylor Swift Effect for Kelce?

Kelce has caught only eight passes for 69 yards and no touchdowns through three games, but his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, attended the first two contests, reinforcing the added allure she brings to NFL broadcasts.

Has his relationship with Swift impacted his play, though? “Are we not allowed to say that he’s out of shape?” NFL analyst Todd McShay said on The Ryen Russillo Podcast. “That he’s been partying all offseason? He’s been jet-setting around with the most famous person, probably in the entire world.” Mahomes looks at it differently, though: “We’re calling a lot of plays for Travis, and it’s like two or three people are going to him.”

A contract extension this offseason gave Kelce the highest annual average salary among tight ends at $17 million. Off the field, Kelce and his brother, Jason, cashed in with a three-year, $100 million deal to sell the rights to their podcast, New Heights, to the Amazon-owned publisher Wondery.