‘Love Yours. 2027’: Chiefs Rookie Kahlil Benson Announces Baby News — Patrick Mahomes Reacts

It has already been a year of firsts for Kahlil Benson. First NFL contract as an undrafted free agent. First start at left tackle. First monthly rookie honor. And now, the biggest first of all — the Chiefs rookie announced he is going to be a dad.

Benson shared the news Saturday morning, October 10, during Kansas City’s bye week, posting a carousel of Polaroid-style photographs on Instagram. In one photo, a shirtless Benson holds up a positive pregnancy test; in others, his girlfriend Jayda shows off her growing baby bump while holding a sonogram. The couple kept the announcement simple, captioning the post: “Love yours. 2027.”

The caption says it all — the baby is expected in 2027. The couple did not reveal the baby’s sex or an exact due date, and they have largely kept the timeline of their relationship private. What is known is that their story runs through Bloomington: Jayda, who posts under the handle @thejaydag, is an artist and Indiana University alumna who also runs a separate account for her tattoo artwork, while Benson spent the bulk of his college career, 2020 through 2023, playing on the offensive line for the Indiana Hoosiers.

The congratulations came fast, and they came from the top. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes dropped a “Congrats” with a praying-hands emoji in the comments. Fellow rookie running back Emmett Johnson added, “Congrats fam.” Former Notre Dame back Logan Diggs and 2025 Indiana lineman Zen Michalski chimed in too, and the comment section quickly filled with a wave of celebration from Chiefs Kingdom fans, friends and members of the broader NFL community.

A year of firsts

To understand why this moment landed the way it did, you have to appreciate the season Benson is having. Signed as an undrafted free agent after this year’s rookie minicamp, he clawed his way from camp body to the starting left tackle spot — the blind side of the most important player in the franchise. He then earned NFL Offensive Rookie of the Month honors for his play over the season’s opening weeks.

His mother, Latonya Benson, has been his loudest supporter along the way. After his NFL debut — a 31-10 Monday night win over Denver in which he held his own against a Broncos pass rush that piled up sacks last season — she took to X to celebrate and answer the doubters: “Benitto who? My baby did his thing last night!” Chiefs guard Trey Smith praised the rookie’s approach at an October press conference, saying he is eager to be great.

There is something fitting about the timing. The bye week is the one quiet stretch in the grind of an NFL season — no game plan to install, no opponent to study. Benson spent his making the most personal announcement of his life, and doing it the way his generation does: a photo carousel, a three-word caption, and a flood of love in the comments.

When the Chiefs return to practice, it is back to business for the rookie — protecting the blind side of a 4-0 team that sits among the league’s last undefeated squads. The early returns on his play suggest the moment is not too big for him; if anything, the last few months suggest the opposite. From a rookie-minicamp invite that 32 teams passed on in the draft to a starting job, a monthly award and now fatherhood on the horizon, Benson has stacked milestones the way most players stack them over entire careers.

From going undrafted to protecting Patrick Mahomes’ blind side to starting a family, all in the span of a single year — it is hard to script a better rookie season, on or off the field. Congratulations to Kahlil and Jayda. Chiefs Kingdom will be watching — and in 2027, there will be one more tiny member of it.