The 2024 NFL season is in full swing, and once again, a Kelce brother is helping jumpstart the upcoming campaign.
The season kicks off in Kansas City on opening night, with Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce expected to take the field vs. the Baltimore Ravens. Patrick Mahomes and his offense missed Kelce in their first loss of the season last year against the Detroit Lions, and the hope is he will be ready to go for this opener.
But when the season kicks off, Travis could have his older brother Jason Kelce coming as a spectator or member of the media. Jason put a bow on his stellar NFL career with the Philadelphia Eagles, announcing his retirement this past offseason.
We know these two’s legacies on the field, but with a universally revered family in the spotlight, one may wonder just how many Kelce brothers actually play football.
Is There Another Kelce Brother That Plays Football?
No, Jason and Travis are the only two Kelce brothers. The younger sibling will be the only one suiting up on the gridiron this season as Kansas City looks to three-peat for the first time in NFL history.
Before the Kelce brothers squared off in Super Bowl LVII — one of the coolest storylines to ever happen in sports — the brothers were asked about the special moment during a Feb. 1, 2023 episode of their podcast, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce.”
“It’s wild and kind of surreal,” Travis said of making history with his older brother. “I feel like I’ve been getting asked this question for my entire career. ‘What would you feel if you played your brother in the Super Bowl?’ The entire time I’ve been like, ‘That’s been the goal.’ Now that it’s actually happening, it’s kind of sick.”
Jason chimed in: “Did we think it was going to be both of us? I don’t know. I thought it could happen, but I never fully anticipated it happening until last week. I was like, ‘Man, this could really happen. We could really have a New Heights Kelce Bowl, and we could actually be doing this.'”
Notable Streak Ending for Kelce Family
With Jason off to retirement and ESPN, one notable streak has come to an end for the famed NFL family.
Since 2013, the league has seen two Kelce brothers play in the NFL. With the perennial Pro Bowl center retiring, it ends an 11-year streak in which the Kelce family saw both brothers play in the league.
Jason was the first to earn his way onto an NFL roster, arriving as a sixth-round draft selection in 2011 via the University of Cincinnati.
By manning the center position, he managed to crack Philadelphia’s starting offensive line and went on to start in all 16 regular-season games.
The elder Kelce went on to produce one more impressive streak: eight straight seasons of not missing a start. He played in all 16 games from 2015 to 2020 and then in all 17 contests when the league added the extra regular season game in 2021.
Now, Jason gets the luxury of watching the game and critiquing his brother’s performance as a broadcaster.