Taylor Swift is the talk of the NFL, but did she really inspire that audible call by Josh Allen during week 8?
During the Buffalo Bills vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers game on Thursday, October 26, video of Allen, 27, circulated social media because fans thought the quarterback yelled out “Taylor Swift” during a 2nd down play early in the first quarter — but as it turns out, Allen was “actually screaming ‘J.R. Smith,’” he told People. (Smith is a retired basketball player.)
“It’s like … similar to that dress, right? Was it white and gold or blue and black?” Allen told the outlet, drawing comparison to the viral black-and-blue or white-and-gold dress debate from 2015. “I’m not saying we don’t have a Taylor Swift call, but in the instance of that clip, I was saying J.R. Smith.” He added that the Bills “might call” Swift’s name as an audible “at some point during a game later” in the season.
Since Swift, 33, became linked to Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce in September, the NFL has extensively covered the “Shake It Off” singer. Allen told People that he thinks that the media attention is “obviously good for the brand.”
“I think it’s attracted a lot of viewers to what we’re doing, and I guess in this business, you’re either growing or you’re dying,” he said.
He went on to add that he tries “not to pay too much attention” to all of the media surrounding Swift. While Allen “understands” the strategy “from a business point of view,” he’s dedicated to “being the best quarterback that I can be.”
Allen himself has had his private life displayed in public. The NFL star sparked romance rumors with Hailee Steinfeld in May when they were spotted together in New York City, and was later photographed kissing the Pitch Perfect 2 actress in July.
“The fact that anybody cares about that still blows my mind,” he said while on the “Pardon My Take” podcast in August.
A source exclusively told Us Weekly in July that Steinfeld, 26, is “not putting any pressure or unrealistic expectations on things,” since Allen had recently called it quits with ex Brittany Williams.
“Josh is the first guy in a while she’s been really interested in,” the insider told Us at the time.
Steinfeld has since been spotted cheering on her new beau from the stands in London earlier this month, and has even bought Bills merchandise with Allen’s mom. The pair also recently took their date night to the rink when they attended the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres game.
