There was a time—recent, really—when Travis Kelce was the kind of star every NFL fan knew by heart. The resume? Flawless. Two Super Bowls, unmatched playoff stats, and the rare tight end who could do SNL without missing a beat on the field. But then came Taylor Swift. And suddenly, Kelce wasn’t just Sunday-famous—he was everywhere. From football diehards to fashion blogs, late-night clips to paparazzi reels, his name echoed beyond the gridiron. Not upgraded—transformed. Let’s take a close look at how that sudden surge in global fame turned Kelce into one of the most valuable brands in sports.

The Taylor Swift effect on one of the greatest…

There’s no doubt that the professional football players are paid really well. And of course, Travis Kelce is one of the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL. But we’ll come back to that later. Let’s first dive deep into the sudden surge in his brand value. Before Swift, Kelce’s audience was mostly NFL fans and sports media. After Swift, he became a household name worldwide. Millions of Swifties—many of whom didn’t watch football, suddenly knew who Kelce was. His mainstream visibility skyrocketed. His Instagram followers doubled, passing five million during the 2023 season only. The same season when Trav-Tay became official.

Besides, Kelce was already doing well with brand endorsements. We’re talking about Nike, Old Spice, Tide, you name it. But when Swift started attending the Chiefs game and the couple started dating, his relationship with Swift opened doors to bigger, non-sports brands looking for crossover stars. He then signed deals with Experian, Pfizer, and Campbell’s. The rumors started swirling that the brands are paying a premium to have Kelce in campaigns because of the Swift effect.

Then there’s his New Heights Podcast that he hosts with his brother and the Eagles legend, Jason Kelce. The Kelce brothers started their podcast back in 2022, which was growing rapidly among NFL fans. But once Taylor showed up, it went nuclear. The New Heights became the top sports podcast globally. And of course, Kelce’s podcast was No. 1 on Apple Podcasts overall at one point—not just in sports. Cue the three-year, $100 million deal with Amazon’s Wondery. Congrats to them.

Then came Hollywood, as Travis Kelce is now a more bankable TV personality. He hosted a game show on Amazon Prime, “Are You Smarter than a Celebrity? And yes, he’s all set to appear on Adam Sandler’s starrer, “Happy Gilmore 2.” Safe to say, the Taylor Swift effect had a huge surge in Travis Kelce’s brand value, and so did it in his net worth.

How much is Travis Kelce’s net worth

Besides his mainstream visibility, TV & Entertainment gig, and brand endorsements, most of Kelce’s net worth belongs to his NFL career earnings. Drafted back in the 2013 NFL draft, the Chiefs’ tight end signed his four-year, $3.12 million deal with the Kansas City team, only to spend his entire career there so far. Then, in 2016, after recording a couple of 800+ yard seasons, Kelce inked a five-year $45 million extension, including $22 million in guaranteed with $14 million in AAV.

One could argue that a tight end of his calibre was underpaid. “My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am,” Kelce once joked, kind of. “You see how much more money you could be making and, yeah, it hits you in the gut a little bit. It makes you think you’re being taken advantage of.” Safe to say that the Chiefs listened to the tight end.

Last year, Kelce signed a two-year $34.25 million contract extension and became the highest-paid tight end at that time. Besides his NFL earnings, Kelce reportedly earns around $5 million a year from his brand endorsement deals, including McDonald’s, Nike, Papa John’s, State Farm, and on and on. So, if we round that up, Travis Kelce has an estimated net worth of $90 million so far.