Travis Kelce today is one of the most popular NFL athletes in the world. Initially, one of the key reasons behind his meteoric rise to fame was his incredible on-field success. So, it doesn’t come as a surprise that he signed a fat contract with the Chiefs and landed more than a few lucrative contracts. Brand deals and endorsements, however, blew up even further when Killa Trav announced his relationship with pop sensation Taylor Swift.
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His connection with Swift saw a 400% spike in his jersey sales this season, only a few days after getting spotted together. Several brands also came in with improved deals. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is one of them, as they went on to pay the NFL star a whopping $20 million for being the face of their nationwide ads. As part of the campaign for Pfizer, the star TE’s role is to encourage viewers to get the COVID-19 vaccine and also remind them to get their annual flu shot.
Seeing Pfizer’s success and Kelce’s popularity rising multifold — with him being a household name in America — many popular brands like McDonald’s, Nike, and Papa John’s, among others, came up with multi-million-dollar brand endorsement deals with the Pro Bowler tight end.
Moreover, when Kelce clinched his third Lombardi this year — skincare company Kiehl’s and a US brand of safety razors Gillette, made gigantic offers to the NFL star. Automotive manufacturer Toyota has an offer of their own, as they are reportedly in talks with Travis. The deal is rumored to be at 4-year, $6 million (estimated). Furthermore, Calvin Klein and luggage company Samsonite have also reached out to Travis for a collab worth millions.
As per reports, Travis currently earns a massive $5 million annually through his brand endorsements. But does this mean that Kelce earned this popularity and deals because of Taylor Swift? Not at all. Before his romance with the 14-time Grammy winner, Kelce was able to cultivate a name for himself through sheer on-field success and even appearing on a few TV shows.
Travis Kelce Was Popular Before Taylor Swift As Well
Over the last decade, Kelce has positioned himself in the ‘GOAT TE’ race, alongside the likes of Rob Gronkowski. His on-field exploits and brilliance led him to sign a $56 million contract extension with the Chiefs in 2022, taking his annual salary to a whopping $14 million. What set Kelce apart from his peers, however, was the way he leveraged his fame. As he saw a rise in his fame, the Chiefs’ star accentuated it by being in the public eye regularly. He did so by starting a podcast with his brother, Jason.
This led to Travis becoming the “golden boy” for brand endorsement deals. As per metrics measurement firm iSpot.tv, Travis Kelce has appeared in an impressive 3% of all TV ad impressions during NFL games. This is more impressions earned than NFL poster boy Patrick Mahomes and Superstar RB Christian McCaffrey. So the bottom line is that Travis Kelce was already popular before Swift. However, one can’t deny the extrapolation of Kelce’s fame that Swift’s presence has made.
Taylor Swift is a global sensation and one of the most streamed artists in the world. From Apple Music to Keds to Cover Girl to Coca-Cola, the “Blank Space” songstress is a global ambassador for top brands across the world. This also adds to Kelce’s appeal as the face of many brands, as these investors now get a part of Taylor Swift’s fame as well by partnering up with her beau.
Safe to say, Taylor Swift has had an icing on the cake effect as Travis Kelce went from being popular in America to being known worldwide.
