Five Greatest Brother Duos in Football including Travis Kelce, Jason Kelce, Peyton Manning & More

Sibling rivalry has always been an interesting angle that provides an extra edge to an already thrilling game. During the era of the Manning brothers, their games would be filled to the brim with fans of each brother. In today’s state of the NFL, it is the duo of Travis-Jason that takes the cake of sibling rivalry. Moreover, here’s a look at other dynamic sibling pairings that were a major part of NFL history.

1. Travis and Jason Kelce

Jason and Travis Kelce were listed at the top of the list out of 29 pairs of siblings. Travis Kelce, the tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, has been playing with them since 2013. His elder brother, Jason Kelce, the center, has been with the Philadelphia Eagles since 2011 and has been an avid rival of his brother all these years. The fans glorified their rivalry so much so that the Super Bowl 2023 was termed the ‘Kelce Bowl’.

When talking about the momentous game of 2023 when the Eagles faced off against the Chiefs, Travis shared his thoughts about facing off against his brother and said, “Cool scenario to be in, you know? My mom can’t lose. “It’s going to be an amazing feeling playing against him. I respect everyone over there in the Eagles’ organization. You won’t see me talk too much trash because of how much I love my brother. But it’s going to be an emotional game, for sure.” Whereas on the other hand, Jason had a few words to say about the situation, and jokingly said, “That’s it for the rest of the year. I am done being a Chiefs fan.”

Now that Travis has 3 Super Bowls to his name as compared to Jason’s 1 that he won in 2017, it is evident who the better player is in terms of championship trophies.

2. Shaquill Griffin and Shaquem Griffin

Next up is the pairing of Shaquill Griffin and Shaquem Griffin. Shaquill was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2017 NFL Draft, whereas his twin brother Shaquem Griffin joined the team next year as a linebacker. Shaq was signed on by the Houston Texans in 2023 but was released in November because he was no longer playing on defense. Additionally, Shaquem Griffin last played for the Miami Dolphins in 2021 before also being released in October.

Despite the short-lived careers of the brothers, they were playing against each other in 2021 when Shaq was with the Jaguars and Shaquem had signed on with the Dolphins. In response to them playing against each other, Shaq jokingly called out his brother in an interview saying, “I told him to make sure you have your passport ready, I need you to make sure you make it, I need no excuse. And I told him I might walk up while he’s at warm-ups and push him down. I already started my trash talk and I’m not changing it. I can’t wait to see him, it’s going to be different, it’s going to be exciting to see. First time the Griffin twins are going against each other. Y’all make sure y’all blow that story up because it’s on and popping when I see him.” The twin brothers didn’t exactly establish a dynasty but were under the NFL’s limelight for a long time.

3. Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty

Thirdly, the rivalry between Devin McCourty and Jason McCourty comes to mind. Devin was drafted by the Pats in 2010. Jason played 7 seasons with the Tennessee Titans before finally joining his brother’s team in 2018. During one matchup between the Titans and the Patriots in 2012, tensions were high between the two siblings.

Jason had brutal words to say about Devin’s team and said, “There won’t be any Patriots memorabilia in Nashville at all.” Their friendly banter even caught the eye of the Pats’ coach, Bill Belichick. The veteran coach weighed in on the rivalry and said, “There are definitely some similarities, as you would expect. They’re both fast (and) they’re both aggressive, good tackles, good solid players,” Belichick said. “We’ll never get a better look at a guy than we will this week from Devin. It’s about as close as it gets.“But in retrospect, it was the Patriots who vanquished the Titans and ended up settling the debate once and for all.

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

This rivalry existed in a trio as J.J. Watt, Derek Watt, and T.J. Watt often took on each other in games. J.J., the oldest played for the Houston Texans for over 12 seasons. Derek Watt is the fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the youngest brother, T.J. is the current linebacker for the same team.

The Watt brothers created history in 2020 when J.J.’s team, the Houston Texans took on the Pittsburgh Steelers, who had Derek and T.J. in the squad during that time. It was only the second time since 1927 that an NFL game saw three brothers in the same game.

In December 2022, JJ announced his retirement from the league. T.J. is still playing for the Steelers going into 2024, whereas Derek became a free agent back in 2023. The three brothers don’t play together anymore but were a force to be reckoned with during their prime.

5. Peyton Manning and Eli Manning

Lastly, this rivalry exists as the most popular among fans. The rivalry between Peyton and Eli Manning takes precedence over all the other siblings. Peyton played for 18 seasons in the NFL and, for the most part, was a quarterback for the Colts. On the other hand, his younger brother, Eli Manning, was a quarterback for the New York Giants for over 16 years.

No rivalry came close to being so cutthroat as the Manning brothers. Both of them won two Super Bowls during their careers and are now broadcast partners on the ‘Manningcast’ as they continue to engage in brotherly trash-talk.

In a heartwarming statement, Eli talked about what it’s like to face off against your brother at the Super Bowl finals. He said, “In a Super Bowl, it’s going to be pretty cool during the national anthem to look across the field and see your brother standing there knowing y’all are both in the biggest game of the year and fighting for a championship.”

Thus, brotherly rivalries have been a fascinating part of the sport since the competitive spirit stretches beyond the feelings of family and sibling love. With that being said, the fans are always on the lookout for new and upcoming sibling rivalries that would lift the tensions regarding their face-offs at an all-time high.

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Will other sibling rivalries take the world of the NFL by storm anytime soon? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.