Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has seen Taylor Swift around the team, but he’s not about to ask for a picture with his teammate Travis Kelce’s girlfriend

Kansas City Chiefs rookie wide receiver Rashee Rice has revealed that he doesn’t get starstruck around Taylor Swift, who is dating his teammate Travis Kelce and sometimes hangs around the team. Rice said he sees her and his teammates as people, not celebrities.

Rice, who has shown maturity beyond his years both on and off the field, said on the “Airing It Out” podcast: “I’ve seen [Taylor Swift], but I didn’t go up to her like, ‘Can I get a picture’ or nothing like that. Because, you know, those guys like Trav and [Patrick Mahomes], they invite us out, because they know that we are the only guys that see them every day and see them as who they really are.”

He added: “And [it’s] not, ‘Bro, you’re a superstar football player.’ No, it’s just Pat. It’s just Trav. And I wouldn’t go up to another dude’s girl and be like, ‘I get a picture with you?’ If my girl was out, I’d be like, ‘Can we get a picture with the girls together,’ but I’ve got nothing to do with that.”

Swift’s presence around the Chiefs since she started dating Kelce has been a surprise for some players. However, Rice, who is new to professional football after a successful college career at SMU, didn’t have any previous experiences to compare it with.

Rice, a second-round draft pick, has had an impressive season so far with 68 catches for 754 yards and seven touchdowns. Only Kelce has contributed more to Kansas City’s passing game this season.

Mahomes appreciates having Rice on the team, especially as other Chiefs receivers have frustrated him with their untimely drops and baffling penalties. Rice, like Swift, who has attended several games and made friends with some of the players’ families, is now a fully accepted member of the group.

Mahomes spoke about Swift’s integration into the team on “CBS Mornings.”, saying: “At first, I feel like everybody kind of stayed away, just let [Kelce] do what he was doing,” and “And then he started bringing Taylor around, and you realise how cool of a person she was, and she is. So for us – I mean, it was a couple of jokes here and there in the beginning – but now, she’s just part of Chiefs Kingdom and she’s part of the team.”

Swift is currently on a break from her international tour and will be keeping an eye on Rice, Kelce and the Chiefs as they aim for the third seed in the AFC playoffs. The team has two home games left – against the Las Vegas Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals – before they face the Los Angeles Chargers on Jan. 7. Swift won’t be back on her Eras Tour until early February.