Football Players Who Have Brothers That Also Play in the NFL: The Kelces, The Mannings and More

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Football Players Who Have Brothers That Also Play in the NFL: The Kelces, The Mannings and More

Sibling rivalry! Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce are among some of football’s most acclaimed pairs of brothers to play in the National Football League (NFL).

Peyton was initially drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, nearly six years before little brother Eli was picked up by the San Diego Chargers ahead of his New York Giants trade. Peyton, for his part, was eventually traded to the Denver Broncos in 2012, shortly before helping them clinch a Super Bowl victory. He retired in 2016.

After watching his big brother step back from the NFL, Eli continued to play with the Giants until his January 2020 retirement.

“I think I’m more newly retired than he, so I hope I can throw [a pass] better than him, but who knows?” the University of Mississippi alum exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022, joking about his athletic skills in comparison to Peyton. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that right now. It’s just been fun [working together on a Super Bowl commercial]. It’s just been a lot of fun and, have a reason [to get] together.”

Eli continued: “He lives in Denver [and] I live in New Jersey. We don’t always get to see each other. So this is a time where we do get to see each other and hang out. … It’s a mix of kind of talking football and kind of getting off the subject and just talking about life.”

While the Mannings — who currently cohost a football recap podcast, "Manningcast," and provide game commentary on ESPN2’s Monday Night Games — enjoy hanging out post-retirement, they are not immune to sibling squabbles.

“Being the little brother, I think everything I do annoys him, that’s just kind of the way it is,” Eli told Us in January 2022. “And I got used to it, just being in that situation any time I’m in the room, and he’s in there, like whatever I’m doing’s gonna annoy him: If I’m not watching the game, if I’m watching too closely, if I’m sitting too close to the TV, if I’m drinking my Pepsi too loud, if I’m eating my Lays and rustling the paper; everything annoys the big brother.”

The Kelce brothers have also made their names known on their respective NFL teams. Jason, for his part, was drafted first in 2011 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis joined the league two years later when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him.

“I ended up body-slamming him and we ended up breaking some stuff in the kitchen,” the former Catching Kelce star recalled of his last fight with Jason, when they were in high school, during a September 2018 appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “You want to talk about turning into a man? I turned into a man that day. That definitely gained [me] some confidence because I never really had taken it to that extent of fighting back [because he] was always bigger, stronger than me.”

Travis and Jason have since buried the hatchet, even launching their joint “New Heights” podcast to chat about various sports news of the week.

Scroll below to meet the professional football players and their brothers who have played in the NFL:

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Football Players Who Have Brothers That Also Play in the NFL: The Kelces, The Mannings and More

Sibling rivalry! Peyton Manning and Eli Manning and Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce are among some of football’s most acclaimed pairs of brothers to play in the National Football League (NFL).

Peyton was initially drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in 1998, nearly six years before little brother Eli was picked up by the San Diego Chargers ahead of his New York Giants trade. Peyton, for his part, was eventually traded to the Denver Broncos in 2012, shortly before helping them clinch a Super Bowl victory. He retired in 2016.

After watching his big brother step back from the NFL, Eli continued to play with the Giants until his January 2020 retirement.

“I think I’m more newly retired than he, so I hope I can throw [a pass] better than him, but who knows?” the University of Mississippi alum exclusively told Us Weekly in January 2022, joking about his athletic skills in comparison to Peyton. “I don’t think anyone wants to see that right now. It’s just been fun [working together on a Super Bowl commercial]. It’s just been a lot of fun and, have a reason [to get] together.”

Eli continued: “He lives in Denver [and] I live in New Jersey. We don’t always get to see each other. So this is a time where we do get to see each other and hang out. … It’s a mix of kind of talking football and kind of getting off the subject and just talking about life.”

While the Mannings — who currently cohost a football recap podcast, "Manningcast," and provide game commentary on ESPN2’s Monday Night Games — enjoy hanging out post-retirement, they are not immune to sibling squabbles.

“Being the little brother, I think everything I do annoys him, that’s just kind of the way it is,” Eli told Us in January 2022. “And I got used to it, just being in that situation any time I’m in the room, and he’s in there, like whatever I’m doing’s gonna annoy him: If I’m not watching the game, if I’m watching too closely, if I’m sitting too close to the TV, if I’m drinking my Pepsi too loud, if I’m eating my Lays and rustling the paper; everything annoys the big brother.”

The Kelce brothers have also made their names known on their respective NFL teams. Jason, for his part, was drafted first in 2011 to the Philadelphia Eagles. Travis joined the league two years later when the Kansas City Chiefs drafted him.

“I ended up body-slamming him and we ended up breaking some stuff in the kitchen,” the former Catching Kelce star recalled of his last fight with Jason, when they were in high school, during a September 2018 appearance on the Dan Patrick Show. “You want to talk about turning into a man? I turned into a man that day. That definitely gained [me] some confidence because I never really had taken it to that extent of fighting back [because he] was always bigger, stronger than me.”

Travis and Jason have since buried the hatchet, even launching their joint “New Heights” podcast to chat about various sports news of the week.

Scroll below to meet the professional football players and their brothers who have played in the NFL:

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Jason and Travis Kelce

While the Tru Kolors founder’s Chiefs play in the AFC division, his big brother plays in the NFC conference. Travis and Jason will be the first brothers to face off in the Super Bowl during the February 2023 championship.

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Peyton and Eli Manning

Since the Louisiana natives retired from NFL, they launched their Manningcast recap series on ESPN2 in 2021.

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J.J., Derek and T.J. Watt

J.J., the oldest Watt brother, retired from the Arizona Cardinals in December 2022. His younger brothers Derek and T.J. play for the Los Angeles Chargers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

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Aaron and Jordan Rodgers

Aaron is the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers, where he’s played since 2005. His youngest brother, Jordan, followed in his NFL footsteps when he was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a free agent in 2013. The Bachelorette alum was released that July before signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' practice squad. Jordan — who has since had a public falling-out with his big brother — has since become a sports commentator.

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Dan, Chris and Rob Gronkowski

Rob, who goes by the moniker “Gronk,” played for the New England Patriots following the 2010 draft. While he initially retired in 2019, he walked back his decision one year later to join former teammate Tom Brady and the Bucs. Rob also comes from a football dynasty. Brother Dan has played for the Detroit Lions, the Broncos, the Patriots and the Cleveland Browns. Chris, for his part, was a member of the Dallas Cowboys, the Colts and the Broncos until his 2013 retirement.

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Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin

Shaquill was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2017, one year before twin Shaquem joined the team. Shaquill has since been traded to the Jaguars while Shaquem retired in 2022.

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Devin and Jason McCourty

Twins Devin and Jason both played for the Patriots after Jason was traded from the Broncos in 2018. (Jason later retired in July 2022.)

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Ryan and Matt Kalil

Ryan was a center for the Carolina Panthers before his 2019 retirement, while his younger brother — who joined him in North Carolina for the 2017 season — plays for the Texans.

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Michael and Martellus Bennett

The defensive end was drafted in 2001, nearly seven years before Martellus entered the football draft.

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Clay and Casey Matthews

The Packers star was a first-round draft pick in 2009, two years before Casey signed to the Eagles.

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Cam and Caylin and Cecil Newton

The Panthers quarterback joined the team in 2011, two years after brother Cecil was signed by the Jaguars as a free agent. Cecil eventually moved on to join the Packers. The siblings’ youngest brother, Caylin, is poised to follow in their footsteps and is currently playing ball for William & Mary’s collegiate team.

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Stefon and Trevon Diggs

Stefon is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills while his younger brother Trevon plays cornerback for the Cowboys.

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Joey and Nick Bosa

Joey was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 during his first year with the Chargers. His little brother, Nick, was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers three years later.