The Kelces Weren't the First: 32 Sets of Siblings Who've Competed in the NFL Recently

Two years after Travis and Jason Kelce faced off in the 2023 Super Bowl, see 31 other sets of siblings who have competed in the NFL

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For these ball players, the NFL is a family business.

While climbing the ranks to the National Football League is no easy feat, these athletes were able to meet the even more remarkable milestone by getting there alongside their brothers.

"I think it's cool as hell," Buffalo Bills' Stefon Diggs told the Wall Street Journal of playing in the league with his brother, Trevon. "It's a small group of guys with siblings. It's probably not as cool for me as it is for my mom. She's got a special womb or something, she's pushing out the athletes."

From the Kelce brothers facing off in the first ever brother vs. brother Super Bowl in 2023, to the Sharpe brothers who are now both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, read on to learn about all of these NFL siblings.

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In 2023, the Kelce brothers became the first pair of brothers to go head to head during the NFL's big game, the Super Bowl. Ultimately, Travis' Kansas City Chiefs came out victorious against his big bro's Philadelphia Eagles. (And yes, mom Donna wore a split jersey.)

The duo, who are two years apart in age, grew up in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, and ahead of their NFL careers, played together for the University of Cincinnati.

And while their professional careers took them to different cities, Travis revealed that his number, 87, pays tribute to Jason's birth year.

"You're the only reason why I wear 87 anyways," Travis told Jason on the sidelines during a post-game exchange. "I never told you that, man. You started the legacy."

Jason retired from the game in March 2024 though continues to host the New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce podcast with his brother who is facing the Eagles again on Feb. 9 in the 2025 Super Bowl.

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Tony Tomsic via AP

While it's been decades since the Sharpe brothers played in the league together, their mutual bond to the game was yet again strengthened on Feb. 6 when Sterling was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame 14 years after his little brother Shannon.

Sterling spent his whole career playing for the Green Bay Packers from 1988-1994. He retired at just 29-years-old due to a neck injury. Though he and Shannon never played on the same team, they did overlap in the league for five seasons from 1990-1994.

From 1990-1999, Shannon played for the Denver Broncos before leaving the team for two seasons to play for the Baltimore Ravens. He finished out his career back on the Broncos, playing for the team from 2002-2003.

Shannon sat down with Travis and Jason for their podcast in 2023 and opened up about how his big brother was the only reason he even played football — and why he wishes he could trade places with him.

"I would trade my career, every dime that I've ever earned, to switch places with my brother. 'Cause he deserved to be where I am in the Pro Football Hall of Fame," he said, almost two years before his brother was inducted. "It broke my heart when he told me he was never going to be able to play the game again."

"Football was my worst sport in high school," he continued. "And the only reason I played [is] because he played and I wanted to be like him."

Here, the brothers pose together before a December 1990 game.

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Shaquem Griffin and his twin brother, Shaquill, had the unique opportunity to not only both play in the NFL, but on the same team. When Shaquem, who was the first one-handed player to be drafted into the NFL, joined the Seattle Seahawks in 2018, Shaquill was already a cornerback for the team.

Shaquem went on to join the Miami Dolphins on a one-year deal in 2021 before trying out for various teams ahead of his retirement from the league in 2022. Shaquill stayed with the Seahawks until 2021 when he joined the Jacksonville Jaguars, before joining the Houston Texans in 2023 and later that season joined the Carolina Panthers. In 2024, he suited up with the Minnesota Vikings.

"As kids, we had dreamed of playing together in the NFL, but whenever we talked about it, our dad would remind us that if we made it to the league — especially if we got to play together — that would be an added blessing," Shaquem said of his brother and father in his retirement post shared on The Player's Tribune. "A bonus."

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For the Watt brothers, J.J., T.J. and Derek, football seems to be in their blood. Though J.J. announced his retirement in December 2022, following the birth of his first child, all three brothers have spent the better part of the last decade playing for the league.

The youngest Watt, T.J., currently plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers where he played alongside middle brother Derek for two seasons from 2022-22. In 2024, Derek announced his retirement.

Ahead of J.J.'s retirement, he had played for 12 seasons, including 10 for the Houston Texans followed by two more with the Arizona Cardinals.

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Eli and Peyton Manning might just be one of the most famous sibling duos to step foot on the field. Peyton, the eldest son of fellow NFL alumnus Archie Manning, started his 18-season career as quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts. After 13 seasons he moved over to the Denver Broncos before announcing his retirement in 2018.

Eli, on the other hand, played his entire 16-season career for the New York Giants as quarterback, retiring from the league in 2020.

While neither brother plays today, they bring their exceptional knowledge of the sport to fans through ManningCast, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli.

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Though none of the Gronkowski brothers suit up anymore, Dan, Chris and Rob all had their time in the NFL. Rob, famously known as Tom Brady's right-hand man, played nine seasons for the New England Patriots before joining Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for his last two.

Chris began his NFL career in 2010 with the Dallas Cowboys and later joined the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos, per Chris' company, Ice Shaker. Dan was drafted in 2011 to play for the Detroit Lions before bouncing to the Denver Broncos, New England Patriots and Cleveland Browns during his three-year tenure, the website explains.

The trio has two other siblings as well, including Glenn, who spent a short time in the league, and Gordie, who pursued baseball instead.

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Devin and Jason McCourty are yet another pair of NFL twins! After graduating from Rutgers in 2010, Devin was drafted by the New England Patriots, where he played for 13 seasons until his retirement in 2023.

Jason, who graduated from the school in 2009, was drafted by the Tennessee Titans and played on the team for eight seasons. He then played one season for the Cleveland Browns before joining his brother in New England for three seasons. Jason ended his tenure in the league with the Miami Dolphins when he retired in 2022.

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Both Ryan and Matt Kalil made the Carolina Panthers their home team for a period of their respective NFL careers. For Ryan, his 12-season tenure with the team ended with a retirement that he quickly went back on to join the New York Jets in 2019 for a one-year-contract.

For Matt, the Panthers was the last jersey he wore professionally after five seasons on the Minnesota Vikings. The Panthers announced in August 2019, that though Matt had signed a five-year contract with the organization just two years prior, they would be releasing him after he spent a year on injured reserve.

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Martellus Bennett retired from the NFL in 2018 after 10 seasons playing on five different teams. His older brother, Michael, also played for five organizations though ended his tenure in 2020 after 11 seasons. Both brothers were outspoken off the field during their time in the league, with Martellus opting out of a White House visit following the New England Patriots' Super Bowl win after being vocal about his feelings on then-President Donald Trump.

Upon his retirement, Michael shared that he would be focusing on his podcast with his wife, Mouthpeace, and a TV series that was in the works based on his book Things That Make White People Uncomfortable. The New Yorker called Michael "one of the most prominent and vocal anti-racists in the N.F.L." at the time of his retirement.

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During Super Bowl LIV media day in 2020, Nick Bosa was asked who the best brothers in the NFL were and he answered with just one word: "Bosas."

After both he and his brother, Joey, spent three years playing college football at Ohio State University, they were both drafted to the NFL as top picks and play defense for their respective teams.

Joey has played for the Los Angeles Chargers for the duration of his career while Nick has stuck with the San Francisco 49ers.

Nick and Joey's father, John Bosa, was also a professional football player, drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1987.

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Eric Kendricks spent the firsrt eight of his seasons in the NFL playing for the Minnesota Vikings before suiting up with the Chargers for one season in 2023 and later joining the Dallas Cowboys in 2024. His older brother, Mychal, was picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012 where he played for six seasons. From there, he played two seasons for the Seattle Seahawks before joining the Washington Football Team (now Commanders) in 2020.

Mychal, who was a free agent at the time, was sentenced in 2021 to one day in jail, three years of probation and 300 hours of community service after pleading guilty to insider trading charges in 2018, according to ESPN.

At the time of the trades, Mychal was playing for the Eagles, though when the charges were announced he had signed a one-year deal with the Cleveland Browns, and was released from that contract shortly after the announcement. He joined the Seahawks one week after pleading guilty and served an eight-game suspension later that season, ESPN reported.

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After 11 seasons, one half of the Long brothers, Chris, announced his retirement from the league in 2019. He spent his first eight years playing for the St. Louis Rams, who drafted him in 2008. He then played one season each for the New England Patriots and Philadelphia Eagles — winning back-to-back Super Bowl titles.

Kyle also stepped away from the game in 2019 after playing seven seasons on the Chicago Bears, though returned to the league to join the Kansas City Chiefs in 2021, Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation noted.

The Long brothers were not the first in their family to suit up for the NFL. Their father is NFL Hall of Famer Howie Long, who played his entire pro career for the Los Angeles Raiders.

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James Cook played his first season in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills in 2022 and had the chance to face his big brother, James, when his team played the Minnesota Vikings in November of that year. Dalvin, on the other hand, played his first six seasons for Minnesota before moving to the New York Jets and most recently suited up in blue and white for the Dallas Cowboys.

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Romeo and Julian Okwara were teammates on the Detroit Lions since for four seasons starting in 2020. Romeo started his career in 2016 when he signed to the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent before joining the Lions two years later. Julian joined the team that year when he was selected in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In 2024, Romeo announced his retirement.

The siblings moved to the U.S. in 2005 from Nigeria and started playing football; both later joined the teams at Ardrey Kell High School and the University of Notre Dame.

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"It's crazy lining up across from him [in practice]," Jaylen said in 2015 when he was added to the Buffalo Bills' practice squad and joined his younger brother's team, per the Bills. "In our 15 years of playing football, we never got to play with each other. Then at our last stop of football, which is the NFL, we get to play together. That's a blessing."

Sammy started his NFL career on the Bills and stayed for three seasons before joining the Los Angeles Rams and has since played on the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens and The Green Bay Packers.

Jaylen was drafted to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014 and despite the brief stint with his brother on the Bills, he returned to the Eagles, where he stayed until 2018. He last played a game for the Los Angeles Chargers in 2020.

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Stefon Diggs joined the NFL in 2015 when he was drafted to the Minnesota Vikings. From there, he went on to suit up for the Buffalo Bills in 2020, playing there for four seasons before joining the Houston Texans in 2024. Trevon was drafted in 2020 by the Dallas Cowboys, where he has remained.

"I think it's cool as hell," Stefon told the Wall Street Journal about being in the NFL with his brother. "It's a small group of guys with siblings. It's probably not as cool for me as it is for my mom. She's got a special womb or something, she's pushing out the athletes."

17 of 32

Clay Matthews played in the league for 11 seasons before officially retiring in 2022. Per the NFL, Clay was regarded as one of the best pass rushers of the game. His last game was in 2019, though he waited to officially throw in his helmet until 2022. He played 10 seasons for the Green Bay Packers and his last for the Los Angeles Rams — his hometown team.

Casey Mathews played for four seasons on the Philadelphia Eagles from 2011 to 2015. He signed to the Minnesota Vikings in 2015 but was placed on injury reserve after a hip injury before seeing his first game with the team, CBS News Minnesota said.

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After spending his entire 11-season career with the Philadelphia Eagles, Brent Celek announced his retirement from the NFL in 2018. Two years later, Brent's younger brother Garrett also retired from the league after eight seasons. Like his brother, Garrett also stayed with one team for the duration of his professional career: the San Francisco 49ers.

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In 2018, one of the Buffalo Bills' starting cornerbacks decided to hand in his retirement to the league in a rather unconventional manner. After 10 seasons, Vontae Davis abruptly retired during halftime in a game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Sports Illustrated reported at the time that Vontae put on his street clothes, walked out of the stadium and decided to retire.

Vontae tweeted a statement confirming his decision, writing that his surprising move was not how he "pictured retiring from the NFL." Vontae played across three teams during his tenure in the NFL, starting on the Miami Dolphins before joining the Indianapolis Colts and then finishing on the Bills.

Vontae's brother, Vernon, retired from the league just two years later in 2020 and also chose a unique way of revealing the news to his fans, NBC Sports explained. Vernon did so with a skit aired ahead of the 2020 Super Bowl which he starred in alongside Rob Gronkowski and James Harrison. Vernon also played across three teams: after being drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006, he later played for the Denver Broncos and Washington Football Team.

In early February 2023, Vontae was arrested and charged with a DUI after reportedly running his Tesla into a pickup truck stopped on the shoulder of Florida's Turnpike, per the Miami Herald.

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While both Hasselbeck brothers now work as football analysts, they both used to play in the NFL. Tim spent six seasons with the league from 2002 to 2007 and at one point served as Eli Manning's backup on the New York Giants, per his ESPN bio. Matt spent a bit more time on the field, playing for 18 seasons across several teams until 2016, when he joined ESPN as an analyst.

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Zack Martin has spent the duration of his career on the Dallas Cowboys since being drafted by the team in 2014. Nick Martin's career has taken him to three different organizations since joining the league with the Houston Texans. He has since played for for the Las Vegas Raiders, New Orleans Saints and Washington Commanders.

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Josh McCown has had a storied career in the NFL, dating back to 2002 when he was drafted to the Arizona Cardinals. He has played for a total of 10 different franchises over his 17 seasons, per his Houston Texans bio, having most recently joined the Texas team for the 2020 season. He now works as a quarterbacks coach for the Minnesota Vikings.

Josh's younger brother, Luke, retired from the league in 2018 after beginning his career on the Cleveland Browns in 2004. During his tenure, he found himself on the roster for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys — though Dallas released him before the 2018 season began, per the NFL.

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Aside from Jordan Palmer's seven years in the NFL, he has become a well-known quarterback coach, having mentored the likes of Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, Jarrett Stidham, Drew Lock, Deshaun Watson, Joe Burrow and Trevor Lawrence, a bio on the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference's website explains. For three years of his professional football career, he served as the quarterback backup for his brother, Carson, on the Cincinnati Bengals.

Carson retired from the NFL in 2018 after 15 seasons playing on various teams including the Arizona Cardinals, Bengals and Oakland (now Las Vegas) Raiders.

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While having the opportunity to play at football's highest level against your brother is rare, what's more rare is retiring alongside them as well.

In 2021, the Pouncey twins decided they would walk away from the league at the same time, the NFL explained. Maurkice was drafted in 2010 to the Pittsburgh Steelers where he stayed for the duration of his career while Mike entered a year later, drafted by the Miami Dolphins. He spent his final three seasons with the L.A. Chargers.

"As I write this farewell speech I cry and laugh that twin boys from Lakeland, FL, that grew up in poverty made it this far in life both living out NFL dreams…," Maurkice wrote in part in his retirement announcement, which was shared by teammate Ramon Foster.

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The oldest Trufant brother, Marcus, was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2003, becoming the first of three to join the league. He retired in 2014. Isaiah, the trio's middle brother, played three seasons for the New York Jets from 2011 to 2013, though at the time of Marcus' retirement in 2014 he was signed to the Cleveland Browns.

Desmond joined the league in 2013, playing for the Atlanta Falcons before suiting up for the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Tigers, Chicago Bears and Las Vegas Raiders — where, per the ESPN, he played his most recent game.

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Though T.J. Ward played his last game in the NFL in 2017 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he did not officially announce his retirement from the NFL until 2021. His younger brother, Terron, followed his footsteps into the NFL and per ESPN, spent three seasons on the Atlanta Falcons.

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After being drafted by the the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, Terrell Edmunds played five seasons for the team before moving to the Philadelphia Eagles for the 2023 season. In 2024 he was back on the Steelers. Older brother Trey spent his first year on the New Orleans Saints before moving over to his big brother's stomping grounds on the Steelers — though per ESPN reporting, the team released Trey in July 2022.

The youngest Edmunds, Tremaine, has been in the league five years with the Buffalo Bills and now plays for the Chicago Bears.

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Equanimeous St. Brown joined the league in 2018 when he was drafted by the Green Bay Packers, where he played for three seasons before moving over to the Chicago Bears. He joined the New Orleans Saints organization in 2024. In 2021, his younger brother Amon-Ra joined him in the NFL when he was drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

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Cameron Heyward joined the league back in 2011 to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers and has been suiting up in the black and yellow uniform ever since. In 2022, the team became even more special when his little brother, Connor, was added to the roster.

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In another story of NFL twins, Carlos and Khalil also had a chance to suit up for the same team for some time. Carlos was drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers from the get-go in 2020, where he stayed for three seasons. Most recently he was signed to the Cincinnati Bengals in August 2024.

While Khalil began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in January 2022, he was given a futures contract by the Steelers after spending time on the practice squad during the 2021 season, per the team's website. Now, he plays for the San Francisco 49ers.

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The sibling rivalries don't stop on the field! There are also a a group of brothers who have taken the NFL coaching route. For the Harbaugh brothers, their competition went to the highest level when they faced off in the 2013 Super Bowl, where Jim was coaching the San Francisco 49ers and John led the Baltimore Ravens.

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Rex and Rob Ryan both helped a slew of NFL players from the sidelines — Rex as a head coach and Rob as a defensive coordinator.

After serving as the senior defensive assistant for the Las Vegas Raiders from 2022-2024, Rob was recently named USC's assistant head coach for defense/linebackers coach. In 2016, he assisted his brother who was head coach of the Buffalo Bills at the time.

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