Ex-Raider Tells Taylor Swift to Stay Home as 3-0 Chiefs Visit 3-0 Raiders

Former Raiders player Akbar Gbajabiamila urged Taylor Swift not to attend as unbeaten Kansas City visits unbeaten Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium.

Taylor Swift has been told to stay home for one of the most anticipated matchups of the young NFL season. Akbar Gbajabiamila, who played for the Raiders during the franchise's years in Oakland, said the singer should not attend when the Kansas City Chiefs visit the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.

The stakes are high in the standings. Kansas City and Las Vegas have each opened the season 3-0, fast starts that have established both clubs among the year's early contenders, and both undefeated records go on the line when they meet.

Kansas City's form has been driven by its most familiar names. Patrick Mahomes is again producing the kind of play that has long defined him, while Travis Kelce has looked like a version of his younger self. Their play is part of an effort to put the difficulties of last season behind the team.

Off the field, Swift's relationship with Kelce has turned Chiefs games into broader events since it became public. The two are now married, and Swift is a constant presence in the stands, with footage of her reactions becoming a major talking point each week. Her involvement has also drawn a wave of new fans to the sport, many of whom now back the Chiefs, a dynamic the Raiders know well.

Gbajabiamila, protective of a home-field edge he believes the Raiders are at risk of losing, compared the current setup with the franchise's past, recalling an Oakland crowd that visiting teams dreaded. “Nothing will ever compare to the Oakland days,” he said. “Raiders in Las Vegas is a little bit more posh.”

He pointed to the ticket market as the source of the problem. “It is hard when you have fans coming in and they're buying tickets at crazy amounts and a lot of these Raiders fans are, ‘Yo! I'll give my ticket up!’” he said. His message to those supporters was direct. “You can't give your ticket up! When I go to that game, I swear, if I see all that Red, I'm coming after the Reds.”

The exchange produced a lighter moment when Matt Iseman jumped in with a joke: “Taylor Swift, you better watch yourself.” Gbajabiamila then made his appeal explicit, adding, “Taylor Swift, don't come!”

The request appears unlikely to be honored. Chiefs games have become spectacles that pull casual fans into whichever stadium Mahomes and his teammates visit, and the open question is whether the Raiders can reassert a true home advantage or whether Swift's fan base takes over Allegiant Stadium. The atmosphere inside the building could play a large role in deciding the outcome.

Kansas City travels to Allegiant Stadium to face Las Vegas on Sunday, October 4. Kickoff is set for 4:25 PM EDT, and the game will be broadcast on CBS.