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Travis Kelce was already one of the most popular players in the NFL before he started dating Taylor Swift, but now that he has the full support of every Swiftie around the world, his popularity has sky-rocketed over the past year, and if you need proof, just check out how much royalty money he pulled in last season.
According to the NFLPA’s latest royalty numbers (via Cllct.com), Kelce pulled in a total of $2.43 million in royalties for the period that covered the 2023 season (March 1, 2023 thru Feb. 29, 2024). Not only was Kelce the highest-paid non-quarterback, but he also ranked fourth overall on the list, ahead of several high-profile players, including Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott.
If you’re wondering how much Swift had an impact, it’s safe to say that Kelce’s relationship with the pop superstar definitely helped. During the 2022 season, Kelce only pulled in $875,000 in royalties, which means his total increased by nearly 180% for 2023.
The Chiefs had two players ranked in the top five with Kelce at four and Patrick Mahomes at the top. Kelce’s brother, Jason, was the only offensive linemen to crack the top 25. The Eagles former center made $1.06 million in royalties last season, which ranked 22nd overall. That number is nearly nine times more than the $120,719 that Jason Kelce pulled in during the 2022 season.
The two brothers have host a wildly popular podcast together, which likely also helped boost both of their numbers.
Here’s a look at the top-10 earners from the 2023 season (via Cllct.com):
1. Patrick Mahomes: $3.63 million
2. Jalen Hurts: $2.69 million
3. Josh Allen: $2.55 million
4. Travis Kelce: $2.43 million
5. Trevor Lawrence: $2.35 million
6. Micah Parsons: $2.18 million
7. Peyton Manning: $2.09 million
8. Dak Prescott: $2.03 million
9. Joe Burrow: $1.90 million
10. Rob Gronkowski: $1.89 million
Not only did the Chiefs have two players crack the top 10, but so did the Dallas Cowboys. Although they haven’t been to a Super Bowl in nearly 30 years, the popularity of America’s Team never seems to wane with Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons both cracking the top 10.
In what might have been the biggest surprise, there were also two retired players on the list with Peyton Manning and Rob Gronkowski both ranking in the top 10. After that, there were no other retired players who were even in the top 20.
Manning hasn’t played in the NFL in nearly 10 years, but he’s still making more money than almost every other player when it comes to royalties. At this point, Manning could probably just live off his royalties.
The royalty numbers come from the NFL Players Association and they only take into account endorsements that the NFLPA licenses, such as jerseys, video games and trading cards (Mahomes made millions more doing endorsements for companies like Coors Light, Subway and State Farm, but those aren’t included in the total since those companies don’t sell NFLPA licensed merchandise).
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