Hannah Ann Sluss, who is engaged to NFL star Jake Funk, has a good idea on when a proposal might happen for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce.
“Well, usually, engagements, from what Jake’s told me, happen in the offseason,” she says on Pvnew’s “Virtual Reali-Tea” podcast, speaking from experience.
The model and influencer, 27 — who announced her engagement to Funk, 25, in January — adds, “Because last season I was like, ‘I want to get engaged.’ He was like, ‘Well, typically guys get engaged in the offseason.’”
Getting engaged during the throes of football season — which can last from September to February for some players — is “not the best look,” Sluss says Funk has told her.
The “Bachelor’ alum — who rose to fame in 2020 as a finalist on Peter Weber’s season of the ABC reality show — notes that she and Funk look forward to the offseason, a time they are able to celebrate their fellow football couples’ milestones.
“It’s fun because our friends in the offseason are like, ‘Who’s getting engaged? Who’s getting married?’” she says. “Really, with football season, you have to plan it around football.”
While Sluss and Funk — a running back who recently signed with the Baltimore Ravens after stints with the Los Angeles Rams, Miami Dolphins and more teams — don’t personally know Swift and Kelce, both 34, they’re rooting for the relationship.
“When I first saw it, I was like, ‘This can’t be real. This is just the perfect storm,’” says Sluss, a noted Swiftie who was “so excited” over the unexpected development in the “Shake It Off” singer’s love life.
“And then when I actually saw the picture of her in the stadium in the box … that picture is such an iconic moment in the NFL because that was when it was like, ‘Oh, it’s been /confirm/ied.’”
The Grammy winner and the Kansas City Chiefs tight end hard-launched their romance in September. Since then, the pair has traversed parts of the globe together, while a source tells Pvnew that they will spend the holidays in Kansas City, Mo.
Sluss, for her part, believes “Traylor” is the “biggest thing we’ve seen” not only in the world of sports but in pop culture at large.
“I just think it’s so cool just to see such two diehard fanbases — the Chiefs … or even just NFL fans [in general] and then Taylor Swift, her Swifties — both coming together, I think is just huge,” she says.
Still, when Swift proudly rocks a Chiefs jersey to her man’s games, it can cause some friction for fans of their opponents. Such was the case on Sunday when the Eras Tour entertainer showed up to Kelce’s game at Massachusetts’ Gillette Stadium, where she was booed by a portion of New England Patriots fans.
“There might have been a few Brads and Chads that were booing,” the athlete told brother Jason Kelce during Wednesday’s episode of their “New Heights” podcast.
“But for the most part, everyone was f–king screaming their tail off for her.”
When tense moments arise, Sluss encourages Swift to lean into her new friendships with fellow WAGs like Brittany Mahomes, who is married to Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
“I like seeing her hang out with the other girls from the Chiefs because … I’m sure when you’re such a big superstar, it’s hard to meet genuine friends,” Sluss explains, emphasizing that she relies on her own community of NFL wives and girlfriends to help her combat any hate that comes her way.
“I would just say really take the time to get to know everyone or get to know your core group of friends,” she elaborates, “because that’s what really makes the experience even extra special — is when you have that extra support throughout the season.”
As fans wait on an engagement for Swift and Travis, Sluss is busy nailing down details for her own 2024 wedding. She and Funk are planning to tie the knot in what she considers a “simple” ceremony at a “secret location” in Europe.
“I’m super excited about it,” she enthuses. “I’m taking him away!”
