Jason Kelce is a retired American professional football player who spent 13 years with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL. His NFL career made Kelce a multimillionaire, but his wealth derives from much more than his on-field career. In 2024, Jason Kelce’s net worth is estimated at more than $50 million.
Outside of football, Jason and his brother Travis co-host a popular sports podcast, for which they recently signed an impressive $100 million contract.
Jason Kelce is often regarded as one of the greatest centers in the history of the NFL. In this article, we’ll discuss how he made his fortune, rose to fame, and what he’s doing after retirement.
Jason Kelce’s Net Worth Breakdown:
Jason might not have as much money in the bank as his brother Travis Kelce, but he’s still sitting on tens of millions thanks to his NFL career and bolstered by smart investments. In addition to his NFL earnings, Kelce has made a fortune from endorsement deals, his trending podcast, and a documentary that broke records on Amazon Prime Video.
Many sources online peg Jason Kelce’s net worth at $40 million, but the data we found says otherwise. After accounting for federal and state taxes, assuming a 37% federal tax rate and a 5% state tax rate, Kelce’s earnings from the NFL would be worth at least $48 million post-taxation.
This doesn’t include his earnings from endorsement deals, which are most likely in the range of millions. His podcast New Heights, for which he recently signed a $100 million contract with his brother, has already added $3.8 million to his net worth provided that the brothers split the profits ($2.2 million post-taxation). Not only does this add a fortune to his current wealth, but Jason Kelce’s net worth will grow by additional millions thanks to this deal in the following years.
We’re also yet to find out how much he earned from his record-breaking documentary on Amazon.
Let’s take a look at a detailed breakdown of Jason Kelce’s net worth as of October 2024:
Asset or Income Source | Contribution to Net Worth |
NFL career earnings | $83,995,000 |
New Heights podcast deal, up to 2027 | $50 million |
Real estate | $8.2+ million |
Total Net Worth | $50 million |
Jason Kelce Net Worth: Early Life and Education
Jason Daniel Kelce was born in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, on November 5, 1987. He has had football running in his veins. The famous professional football center comes from a family with a fierce sports background. His younger brother Travis Kelce is a star tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. Their father, Ed Kelce, played football at Cleveland State University.
The Kelce brothers were born and raised in Cleveland Heights, where they attended the same school – Cleveland Heights High School. Their father Ed worked as a sales representative in the steel industry, while their mother Donna worked in banking at Mastercard.
While in high school, Jason Kelce played running back and linebacker. He was named to the All-Lake Erie League twice. He also played baritone saxophone in the jazz and symphonic bands at school and occasionally played lacrosse and hockey.
As for his college education, Kelce enrolled at the University of Cincinnati in 2006. He completed his college career there but, like his brother Travis, dropped out before he graduated. He entered the NFL draft and was selected by The Philadelphia Eagles in 2011.
Personal Life
Jason met his wife, Kylie McDevitt on a dating app and married her in April 2018. They have three daughters: Wyatt, Elliott, and Bennett.
Jason Kelce Net Worth: How a Promising College Athlete Turned NFL Football Player
Jason Kelce’s football career started thriving when he was in college. Not long after, he was drafted by the Eagles and started playing football in the NFL. Let’s see how his career progressed over the years.
College Years
Unlike his brother Travis Kelce who enrolled at the university on a scholarship, Jason started as a walk-on running back at the University of Cincinnati. He later switched to fullback and then to offensive line after redshirting his first year. The university decided to reward Jason with a scholarship after he proved himself on the football field.
In 2007, Jason Kelce was center and guard in nine games as the Bearcats defeated Southern Mississippi in the PapaJohns.com Bowl.
A year later, when he was a sophomore in college, Kelce made 13 starts as a left guard and was part of an offensive line with NFL linemen Trevor Canfield and Jeff Linkebach. The Bearcats were Big East Conference champions that season but lost to Virginia Tech in the FedEx Orange Bowl.
This was the same year his brother Travis began playing alongside him on the college football team.
In 2009, Jason Kelce started 13 games as a left guard and earned second-team All-Big East honors when the Bearcats went undefeated in the regular season. His team was once again Big East Champions and earned the BCS Bowl berth, but eventually lost to Florida in the Allstate Sugar Bowl.
The following year marked a big change for Kelce. He was moved to center under the leadership of the team’s new coach Butch Jones. He started in the final 38 games of his career with the Bearcats and was named second-team All-Big East and Honorable Mention All-America.
Kelce Signs to The Philadelphia Eagles
Even though he didn’t fit the traditional mold of an NFL player in terms of size, Kelce was projected as a fourth-round pick. This may not sound super impressive but it certainly is for his position. He had an impressive performance, running the fastest 40-yard dash game of all offensive linemen at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2011, marking a 4.89-second time. In the sixth round, he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles.
Because he was selected during the NFL lockout, he wasn’t able to practice or sign an official contract with the team right away. He eventually signed a four-year contract on July 27 and started training under the leadership of new offensive line coach Howard Mudd.
In August, Jason competed with incumbent starter Jamaal Jackson for the center position during training camp. He then started against the Cleveland Browns but allowed a sack, which got him penalized for holding. Despite this setback, he was named the starting center for the season. He was the first rookie in Eagles history to start all 16 games in that position.
Growing Success of the Philadelphia Eagles Center
Now that he was a part of the team, Jason Kelce started thriving in the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2012, he was named the starting center for a second consecutive year. He helped the team win over the Baltimore Ravens but got injured with a partially torn MCL and torn ACL, which made him miss the rest of the season. He had to undergo surgery to repair the ACL in his knee, which took place at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia.
The next season, Kelce rebounded fast and started all 16 games. His team reached the playoffs and set season records of 442 points. Jason Kelce led the way for the leading rusher of the NFL, LeSean McCoy, to rush for 1,607 yards. After the success of that season, he won the Ed Block Courage Award and Pro Football Focus (PFF) selected him as the best center in the NFL for the season.
Contract Extension and First Pro Bowls
In February 2014, Jason signed a six-year contract extension. That same year, he underwent surgery for a hernia, preventing him from playing for four games. Regardless, he was still selected for his first Pro Bowl due to his great performance throughout the season.
He continued starting in all 16 games per season in 2015, 2016, and 2017, achieving more and more milestones with every passing season. In 2015, PFF ranked him the 7th best center in the NFL. A year later, he was selected to his second Pro Bowl. His best season as a pro to date was 2017 when he became the highest-rated offensive lineman by PFF and a First-team All-Pro. That same year, the Philadelphia Eagles won the Super Bowl LII by defeating the New England Patriots.
New Milestones and Contracts
Kelce’s impassioned speech during the Eagles’ Super Bowl parade in 2018 helped him gain national fame. In his speech, he compared the fans to hungry dogs who “for 52 years have been starved of this championship”, talking highly of his teammates and coaches.
That year, he was given his second First Team All-Pro honor, with the third to follow in the 2019 season.
In 2019, it was time for the famous Eagles center to extend his contract with the team. He was also elected to his third Pro Bowl, followed by his fourth in 2020. In 2020, he started his 100th straight game with the team and became one of the eight finalists for the Art Rooney Award – though he didn’t win.
When his contract expired in 2021, Kelce signed once again with the Philadelphia Eagles in March. Even though he was placed on the COVID list in January 2022, he was activated four days later and went for the team’s first offensive snap.
His success kept soaring in the following seasons. Kelce has since been selected for the Pro Bowl every year, garnering seven until his retirement from the sport.
In 2021, Jason Kelce was the Eagles finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, and the Associated Press named him a first-team All-Pro for the fourth time in his successful career.
Even though he was mulling retirement at this point, Kelce decided to sign yet another deal with the Eagles in 2022, this time for a single year. His contract for $14 million for one season made him the highest-paid center in the NFL.
The Philadelphia Eagles made the right investment in Kelce since, in 2022, he earned both first-team All-Pro honors and Pro Bowl. That season, his team also appeared in the Super Bowl LVII, where they played against the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce’s brother Travis played for the Chiefs, so this was the first Super Bowl to feature brothers on opposing teams as players.
In March 2023, Jason Kelce signed a new one-year lucrative contract with the Eagles despite the rumors of him retiring. In Week 6, he broke the record for most consecutive starts, previously held by Jon Runyan. He received first-team All-Pro honors in his last season, as well.
On March 4, 2024, Jason Kelce announced his retirement.
What Jason Kelce Made from the NFL
The bulk of Jason Kelce’s net worth comes from his salaries and bonuses at the NFL. Before he retired, the last of his NFL contracts was worth $14.25 million, making him the highest-paid center in the NFL. This was the second year he was the highest-paid center, having made more money compared to the previous year.
Let’s take a look at his previous salaries.
When Kelce was drafted by the Eagles, he signed his first four-year $2,137,432 contract, which included:
- $97,432 signing bonus
- $97,432 guaranteed
- base salary of $534,358
In 2014, after his great performance on the football field, he signed a six-year for $37.5 million. In 2019, when his contract expired, he signed another extension that paid him $11 million a year.
In 2021, Kelce upped his contract once again for a deal that paid him $9 million in guaranteed money, and potentially up to $12 million.
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In 2022, he extended his contract for $14 million.
When we add all this up, Kelce’s total salary with bonuses at the NFL add approximately $83.9 million to his net worth, pre-taxation.
Other Ventures, Investments, and Assets of Jason Kelce
The athlete chose to retire from football in 2024, after several years of consideration. However, while his career on the field has officially ended, he remains very active in business and media circles. Soon after the announcement, he joined ESPN as an analyst for the new season, not to mention his highly popular podcast which he creates with his brother.
Let’s take a look at what else contributes to Jason Kelce’s net worth.
Media Appearances
Jason Kelce has had many notable media appearances over the years – and we aren’t just talking about small endorsements or ads.
Along with Beau Allen, Kelce appeared in the two-part episodes with a Super Bowl LII theme on It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, a hit comedy show. The episodes were titled Charlie’s Home Alone and The Gang Wins the Big Game.
In 2023, Kelce appeared on Saturday Night Live when his brother hosted the episode. He’s also appeared as an audience member with his parents on the show, as well as in a bar skit with his brother, Heidi Gardner, and Chloe Fineman.
During the 2022 season at the NFL, studio 9.14 Pictures produced a feature-length documentary titled Kelce, which examines Travis and Jason’s football careers and some parts of their private life. The documentary was released on September 11, 2023, on Amazon Prime Video, and, within a single day, it became the most-watched film on Prime Video in the US.
In November 2023, Kelce joined Kirk Herbstreit and Al Michaels in the commentary booth during the Week 10 NFL’s live broadcast of the game between the Chicago Bears and the Carolina Panthers. The Thursday Night Football broadcast was aired on Prime Video.
In April 2024, Kelce and his former Eagles teammate Lane Johnson participated in WrestleMania XL, where they helped Andrade and Rey Mysterio win the match. The event took place at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
Most recently, on April 29, 2024, it was announced that Jason Kelce would join ESPN’s Monday Night Countdown as an analyst for the season.
New Heights Podcast
In September 2022, the Kelce brothers launched the weekly podcast New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce. The podcast has grown to tremendous success in a short time. In it, the duo discuss the NFL and each other’s performances on the field.
Ever since the public learned that Travis Kelce is dating Taylor Swift, the New Heights podcast became even more popular. According to recent research, Travis Kelce’s licensing income has increased by 177%, which has been largely driven by his association with the pop star.
According to new reports, the brothers recently sought a new deal after discussions with Amazon’s Wondery this year. They signed a deal with Amazon’s Wondery in August 2024 for three years, worth over $100 million.
Endorsement Deals and Other Projects
Over the years, Jason Kelce has collaborated with major brands such as Tide, Accelerator Active Energy, Campbell’s Soup, McCormick and Co., Courtyard by Marriott, and Old Spice, among others. The details of his endorsement earnings haven’t been publicly disclosed, but his similarly popular brother earns $5 million a year from these types of deals.
Along with his Eagles teammates Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, Kelce collaborated on two Christmas albums, namely:
- A Philly Special Christmas (2022)
- A Philly Special Christmas Special (2023)
Real Estate
Jason Kelce reportedly has a lot invested in real estate, as well. He owns a property in Pennsylvania that he bought for $680,000. After the purchase, he acquired 8 acres of land next door for $3.96 million. Not stopping there, he expanded his property by adding another home worth $1.35 million.
Kelce also spent $2.2 million on a home in Sea Isle City and owns a property in Cleveland worth an undisclosed sum.
What Can We Learn from Jason Kelce’s Story?
Jason Kelce’s journey from a college walk-on to one of the most respected centers in NFL history offers several valuable lessons. Since the start, Kelce has showcased that determination and hard work can open many doors, even in the most competitive environments. His transition from running back to center demonstrates great adaptability and willingness to achieve his goals.
The popularity of his podcast New Heights, as well as his numerous TV appearances, illustrates the potential of building a brand outside traditional sports avenues. By collaborating with his brother and other people, he capitalized on his fame, showing how powerful collaboration can be in terms of success.
After retiring from football, Kelce didn’t put his feet up. Even though Kelce earned millions from his NFL career and lucrative endorsement deals, his retirement hasn’t meant that he;’s stopping working. Instead, he quickly transitioned to roles in media and analysis, demonstrating the importance of being open to new opportunities in life.