Jason and Kylie Kelce’s Disastrous First Tinder Date: Passed Out, Plaid Shirts, and the Start of an NFL Love Story

It’s hard to imagine that one of sports media’s most beloved couples, Jason and Kylie Kelce, started their love story with one of the worst first dates ever recorded—one that included too many drinks, a passed-out NFL lineman, and a fireman’s carry home by a teammate. But that’s exactly how it went down, and somehow, from that chaotic beginning, one of the most genuine love stories in modern sports unfolded.

Their tale began, of all places, on Tinder, where Jason Kelce, All-Pro center for the Philadelphia Eagles, had a profile that was equal parts charm, chaos, and confusion. “Swipe right if you’re into the Eagles,” his bio read. According to Kylie, he thought there was a photo in his profile that made it obvious he played for the team. The only problem? The image—cropped to fit Tinder’s format—just showed his face. The TV broadcast ticker, the Eagles logo, the sideline context? All cut off. To most, he looked like a dude in an athletic shirt, standing around.

Despite the misleading visuals, Kylie swiped right. Not because she was starstruck—she didn’t even know he played professionally—but because she was intrigued. Jason’s personality had seeped through the screen. And what she didn’t realize was that behind that miscropped image was a literal legend in Philadelphia. One who had no clue how Tinder actually worked.

The first real-life meeting didn’t go as planned.

According to Kylie, things went south almost immediately. After she arrived at the bar, it took just 45 minutes for Jason to fall asleep at the table—from drinking too much. He had gotten too excited, too fast. The buzz of anticipation, plus a few (or several) drinks before she even showed up, led to a complete collapse.

The man who would one day become her husband was out cold in public on their very first date.

And that’s not even the wildest part. It took Beau Allen, one of Jason’s former teammates, to haul him back to his apartment. Beau reportedly performed a full fireman’s carry—wrestling Jason all the way home. But as Beau would later joke, Jason didn’t make it easy. “He fought me the whole way,” Allen said. “Dead weight is one thing. Jason was resisting.”

Kylie didn’t run. She could have—probably should have. But she didn’t. She laughed, chalked it up to a memorable night, and gave him another chance. “The second date went much better,” Jason noted with a smile. “I didn’t black out or fall asleep.”

Their mutual affection began to blossom, fueled by Jason’s unexpected depth and Kylie’s grounded presence. Jason—who in his profile had joked about wanting “deep, meaningful conversations and talking about getting married”—turned out to be more serious than she expected. And despite that absurd start, he meant every word.

Jason recalled their second meeting with fondness and an almost cinematic flair. “The moment she walked through the door, it was like fireworks. You know when an angel walks into a movie scene, and the light only hits them? That was Kylie. That was her entrance.”

Kylie rolled her eyes while retelling the story but admitted something in her had shifted. “He had a man bun, was wearing plaid, totally leaned into the lumberjack thing,” she said with a laugh. “But when he sent me selfies later with his hair down, I knew he was blacked out. That’s when I’d just say, ‘We’ll talk tomorrow.’”

For Kylie, the man bun wasn’t the draw. Nor the fame. It was something else. Underneath the chaos, the over-drinking, and the lack of Tinder photo awareness was a man with sincerity, humor, and a heart that hadn’t been flattened by fame.

And for Jason, Kylie was more than just the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. She became his anchor. The calm in his storm. The one person who never tried to change him—but somehow made him better anyway.

Today, they’re happily married with children, their lives filled with football games, podcast recordings, and the kind of steady devotion that surprises people who know how it started. Their dynamic is equal parts sarcasm and support, laughter and loyalty. The kind of love story that feels real—because it is.

But their journey isn’t just a cute anecdote about a Tinder mishap. It’s a reminder that love doesn’t always begin with perfect lighting, sober choices, or flawless timing. Sometimes it begins with a disaster. A mess. A memory you’d rather forget—until you realize it’s what shaped the beginning of everything worth remembering.

As Jason once joked, “I didn’t believe in love at first sight… until Kylie walked in.” And while he might still tell that story with a twinkle in his eye and a beer in hand, there’s no denying it: even NFL legends can fumble the first play—and still win the whole game.