Bates said he may bring up Taylor Swift
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III wants every possible edge when the Falcons take on the Kansas City Chiefs this weekend.
That includes potentially trash-talking Travis Kelce and trolling him about his relationship with Taylor Swift.
"Once that clock ticks, and we're in between those lines, I see red sometimes and might say some crazy stuff to him. It may involve Taylor, it may not. It's just part of the game, talking your little smack," Bates said during a recent appearance on "The Pacman Jones Show."
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Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III after a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. (Brett Davis/USA Today Sports)
While Bates said he may talk trash about Swift, the safety added he has respect for her and Kelce.
"I don't listen to much Taylor Swift, but, obviously, you gotta have respect for what she's done in her career. And then with Travis [Kelce], you gotta have some type of respect with him."
The 27-year-old is no stranger to playing against the Chiefs in his career. Before signing with the Falcons in free agency prior to last season, he spent five seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, going 3-2 against the Chiefs in that time.
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Taylor Swift and Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce cheer as they watch play between Jannik Sinner of Italy and Taylor Fritz of the United States in the men's singles final of the U.S. Open Sept. 8, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Despite holding the edge over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in those games, Bates knows how hard it is to slow down the two-time defending Super Bowl champs.
"I think (Mahomes is) a dynamic player. You know he can play on time, and he can play off schedule and extend some plays with his feet. Him and Kelce just got that crazy chemistry where a lot of times they’re getting a lot of their yards, a lot of their success comes from after that second play starts."
Kelce has had a slow start to the season with only four catches for 39 yards over the first two games.
Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates III (3) celebrates his interception with cornerback Dee Alford (20) on the Philadelphia Eagles' last drive of the game during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia Sept. 16, 2024. (Eric Hartline-Imagn Images)
Despite the lack of production from their star tight end, the Chiefs are 2-0 after Harrison Butker nailed a game-winning field goal against the Bengals as time expired last week.
The Falcons are looking to improve to 2-1 against the Chiefs after a thrilling comeback victory against the Philadelphia Eagles on "Monday Night Football." Bates sealed the win with an interception of Jalen Hurts in the final minute.
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Ryan Canfield is a digital production assistant for Fox News Digital.