‘You guys could have looked at the damn schedule’: Bombers QB Zach Collaros ‘bummed’ to miss Taylor Swift, Travis Kelce wedding

Graphic: 3DownNation (Photos: Taylor Swift | Michael Scraper | MSG)

Musical icon Taylor Swift and NFL tight end Travis Kelce may know how to throw the wedding of the century, but they have no respect for the Canadian Football League schedule.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was one of the lucky few with an invitation to the much-anticipated nuptials, which took place at Madison Square Garden on Friday. However, he was forced to decline the hottest ticket in the world in order to attend practice ahead of Sunday’s matchup with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“I told them that,” Collaros laughed after a reporter joked that the two mega-stars should have planned around the Bombers game. “I talked to them the other day; they were taking a walk together. I’m like, ‘You guys could have looked at the damn schedule.’”

The 37-year-old is close personal friends with Travis and his brother, Jason, stemming from their time playing together at the University of Cincinnati. The trio were college roommates, building a bond that has endured even after the Kelces went on to NFL stardom.

Travis has attended at least one CFL game in person to support his friend back in 2019, and has occasionally discussed Canadian football on his popular podcast, New Heights. The Kansas City Chiefs legend even donned Bombers gear for an episode in 2024 after receiving a care package from Collaros, and has regularly stated that he is chasing the Winnipeg QB’s coattails when it comes to championship game appearances.

Swift, a 14-time Grammy Award winner and Time Magazine Person of the Year, publicly began dating Kelce in 2023. Collaros was introduced to her a few months later when they shared a suite for an AFC Divisional Playoff matchup between the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills. The couple got engaged in August 2025, and planned a wedding worthy of the wealthiest female musician of all time.

The cost of the ceremony was estimated between $10 and $20 million, as 1,000 friends and celebrities from across the world of sports, music, and entertainment watched comedian Adam Sandler marry the lovestruck duo in New York City this week. However, it wasn’t missing out on a once-in-a-lifetime experience to rub shoulders with A-listers that had Collaros disappointed.

“I was bummed because Trav came to all my stuff. We had engagement parties, we had bachelor parties, obviously, in our wedding up here. That makes it tough,” he explained. “You can speak to any pro football player, part of this deal is you miss events like that. It is what it is. It’s not a normal job where you can take a couple days off and make up your work on the fly. You’ve got to play a game. That’s always been tough, missing friends’ weddings, family’s weddings, family events, that kind of stuff. It’s never easy.”

Hopefully, Swift and Kelce can plan their next big shindig with three-down football in mind. In the meantime, they can take a break from their honeymoon to watch Collaros and the Bombers (1-2) visit the Tiger-Cats (2-1) on Sunday, July 5, at 7:00 p.m. EDT.

J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.