All the dads, Brads and Chads are no doubt rejoicing after the NFL informed teams that the salary cap for 2025 would be significantly increasing for the second year in a row.

The new salary cap, which is reportedly between $277.5 million and $281.5 million, will allow many NFL teams to retain key players ahead of the upcoming season and will mean the cap has increased by at least $53 million over the last two years.

As painful as it is to admit, those Brads and Chads may have a certain pop star to thank for being able to pay their favorite expensive player. Taylor Swift, who first showed up at Arrowhead Stadium to support beau Travis Kelce at a Kansas City Chiefs game in September 2023, has reportedly generated nearly $1 billion for the NFL since then, driving brand value in areas like TV revenue, social media and digital news.

While it’s true that the NFL cap typically increases year after year, the league experienced two of its biggest cap boosts in recent history in 2024 and ‘25. Is it a coincidence that Swift was publicly dating Kelce during the seasons preceding those salary cap spikes? Probably not.

The “Taylor Swift Effect” has been well-documented since the Eras Tour pop star’s arrival to the league and will likely continue to gain momentum in 2025 and beyond—assuming she and Kelce remain together, of course.

Many fans wanted to see Swift get her due credit for helping the NFL grow: