Millionaire outside of football: This is Travis Kelce’s business that makes him a fortune

By now, Travis Kelce‘s name is known by millions around the world. Of course, dating one of the most famous pop stars in the world certainly helps with that. But even before that, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was putting himself on the map. Between his success on the field, his podcast with his brother, and his business ventures and endorsements, Kelce has spread his wealth far beyond the game of football, and he’s done so with the help of two brothers.

Travis Kelce’s net worth

Kelce is no billionaire like his girlfriend Taylor Swift, but he‘s doing pretty well for himself, even when you take the NFL out of the equation. His estimated net worth is $90 million. Here’s where that all comes from.

Chiefs contracts

Of course, a good chunk of Kelce‘s earnings come from his contracts with the Chiefs. Kelce is in his 11th NFL season (always with the Chiefs), and throughout his career, he’s earned $93,943,975.

In April 2024, Kelce signed a two-year, $34.25 million contract extension with the Chiefs, which raised his salary for the 2024 season by $4 million. He’s now the highest-paid tight end in the league and is earning $19,551,667 this season.

Kelce could have earned more in the league if he was willing to go into free agency and play for other teams, but he’s stayed loyal to the Chiefs from the start, and noted that he is happy with what he has and “loves winning” even more.

Endorsement deals and investments

In addition to his salary with the Chiefs, Kelce earns money from several lucrative endorsement deals with various companies, including McDonald’s, Pfizer, State Farm, Papa John’s, Bud Light, Sleep Number, Tide, Dick’s Sporting Goods, T-Mobile, Experian, Old Spice, Walgreens, and DirecTV. According to Forbes, these sponsorships earn him $5 million per year.

Kelce has also invested in companies like Cholua Hot Sauce, Hydrow (a rowing machine company), and ThePlayersTV (an athlete-owned media network). He has recently become an investor in Casa Azul Tequila as well.

He‘s also invested in real estate, recently purchasing a $6 million mansion in Leawood, Kansas. The home has six bedrooms, six bathrooms, a pool, golf course, and outdoor kitchen. That’s quite a jump from his previous, $1 million home. He also owns a small condo in Orlando, Florida with his brother and parents.

Podcast success

Kelce’s podcast with brother and former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, called “New Heights”, has also been wildly successful. They recently signed a three-year, $100 million podcast distribution deal with Wondery, giving them exclusive advertising sales and distribution rights.

Business ventures

In addition to hosting his podcast, Kelce also hosts Amazon Prime Video‘s game show called “Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?”, a spinoff of Fox’s “Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?”, which premiered its first three episodes on October 16, 2024.

Kelce will also play a role in the Adam Sandler film, “Happy Gilmore 2″, which is set to release in March 2025.

The brothers behind it all

But Kelce’s success and wealth off the field is no coincidence. In fact, it was all meticulously planned out years ago, dating back to his college days playing ball at the University of Cincinnati. During those years, Kelce formed a friendship with a man named André Eanes, who together with his twin brother Aaron, started a sports management company called A&A Management Group. Today, that business helps clients find deals, take advantage of their name, image, and likeness (NIL), and build their brand and legacy.

André and Aaron, now working as Kelce’s managers, have played a pivotal role in his successful career. Back in college, Aaron was studying Sports management and entrepreneurship at Bowling Green State University and had dreams of being more than just an agent.

“Agents are contract advisers,” Aaron said. “I thought instead about a music model and building a Business where there’s coordination with all their external providers.”

André shared this vision and started an event management Business while still attending university, booking various venues and hosting events, to which he invited Kelce to attend as a VIP member. When the brothers launched A&A Management, Kelce agreed to work with them.

Since then, the 34-year-old brothers have been instrumental in managing Kelce’s business ventures as well as building his brand. They manage all 28 of his investments, his event appearances, television and film roles, and publicity in general. They were behind several of his media appearances, including the dating show, “Catching Kelce” as well as “Saturday Night Live”. Of course, Kelce’s bold and outgoing personality and sense of humor, coupled with athletic good looks, have helped set him apart as well.

“People say to me, ‘Man, it‘s been a crazy year,’” Aaron said back in January, just before Kelce and the Chiefs won their second straight Super Bowl. “When I say, ‘Actually, it’s not that crazy,’ people look at me funny. It’s because it’s easy when you have a plan. We’re executing that plan.”

“We positioned Travis to be world famous,” André said. “We didn’t know how it would happen, or when it would happen, or what would help push that further along. But it’s always been the thought in the back of our minds.”