Why Is Jackson Mahomes 'Flirting' with Travis Kelce's Ex?

It could in theory be completely innocent and innocuous. In could in theory be the result of Jackson Mahomes' sincere friendship with Kayla Nicole, the ex-girlfriend of his brother Patrick's long-time teammate, Travis Kelce.

But even if it's innocent and innocuous - even if, say, the embarrassingly goofy (and some would argue behaviorally dangerous - why wouldn't Jackson Mahomes express his admiration for Kayla Nicole ... you know, privately?

Jackson, who infamously stands accused of making unwanted sexual advances toward a female bar owner, is to be clear the younger brother of two-time NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes.

Part of this equation is Kelce, one of Patrick's closest pals and teammates who is currently dating music icon and 14-time Grammy Award winner Taylor Swift. ... after having formerly dated Kayla Nicole.

She continues to attempt to set up interviews in her climb as a "social media influencer'' ... with most of her comments having something or other to do with Kelce.

In other words, she is attempting to surf off the fame of an old flame.

That's one problem. And Jackson is another.

While the Kansas City Chiefs stay busy securing their three Super Bowl titles. Jackson keeps popping up in the background of photos ("There he is with Travis! There he is with Patrick! There he is in an Arrowhead Stadium suite with Swift!'') ... and too often pushes his way to the front of the scene.

To wit, along comes Nicole posing in a variety of stylish outfits. ... and Jackson simply cannot help himself.

Jackson Mahomes commented on her IG: "You ate with this fit. Very demure!:)"

We're not sure what that means. Is it friendly? Flirting? "Thirsting''?

Related: Who Are Peyton Manning's Top 5 QBs?

Jackson, 24, has - incredibly to us - developed a "scene'' of his own, as on TikTok he has a following of 1.1 million featuring ... his dance videos .

No, we haven't watched. Indeed, every time Jackson Mahomes does almost anything, we do what we assume many Chiefs fans do: We cover our eyes and hope he doesn't screw it all up.