Offensive lineman Jason Kelce retired from the NFL on Monday after 13 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, but he will continue his thriving career as a podcaster.
Jason and his brother Travis Kelce’s “New Heights” podcast, launched in September 2022, has consistently appeared at #1 on various podcast charts on Apple AAPL,
and Spotify SPOT,
and is reportedly being sold to media brands, according to a report last week from Bloomberg News.
A new deal for the show “New Heights” could be huge, as the market for top podcasters has been robust in recent years. Last month, Spotify’s Joe Rogan renewed his deal with the streamer for around $250 million, and the “SmartLess” podcast was moved from Amazon to SiriusXM LSXMK,
in a $100 million deal.
“Companies want Jason and Travis Kelce’s podcast because of the deep relationship they have with their audience,” Eric Silver, chief development officer at Multitude, a collective podcast studio and ad sales provider, told MarketWatch. “That’s the most important thing in podcasting.”
But with top podcasts getting multimillion-dollar deals, what kind of payout could the “New Heights” crew expect?
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it was more or less the same as ‘SmartLess.’ I wouldn’t be surprised if it was $100 million,” Silver said, likening the current podcaster market to a period of free agency in sports.
The podcast industry has moved away from exclusivity in recent years. For example, popular shows like “The Joe Rogan Experience” and “Call Her Daddy” were once available exclusively to Spotify subscribers, but are now available on all platforms.
While deals vary across the industry, a company that would pay the Kelces for “New Heights” would be more interested in advertising money, Silver explained. Essentially a company like Amazon AMZN,
or Spotify or iHeartMedia IHRT,
it would pay a certain amount of money to the owners of “New Heights,” say $100 million, and in exchange keep all or most of the money the show earns from its ads or future branding deals.
The podcast, which was already a big hit among soccer fans, saw a boost when Travis Kelce started dating Taylor Swift last year, driving more interest and listeners for their show.
Jason Kelce, 36, earned $81.7 million in salary during his 13-year NFL playing career, and Travis Kelce, 34, earned $76.9 million in salary during his 10-year career with the Kansas City Chiefs. These numbers exclude sponsorships and podcast money.
Representatives for the Kelces did not respond to MarketWatch’s request for comment.
See also: Caitlin Clark is turning pro. Because she could have made more money by staying in college another year.
The former Eagles lineman announced his retirement Monday in a 45-minute news conference in which he thanked the city of Philadelphia, his wife Kylie and former coach Andy Reid, who now coaches his brother on the Chiefs. Jason Kelce finished his career with 193 regular season games played, seven Pro Bowl appearances, and a Super Bowl championship.
“It has always been a goal of mine to play my entire career in one city,” Jason Kelce said. “I couldn’t have dreamed of a better one if I tried.”