Watch Jason Kelce weirdly points a finger at brother Travis for calling his Wife a ‘Sweetheart’ on podcast

The N.F.L. tends to suppress individuality, but podcasts from stars like the Kelce brothers, Micah Parsons and Tyreek Hill are popping up as valuable portals to fans.

Hours after winning a playoff game with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2020, tight end Travis Kelce chatted with his older brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, about the intricacies of blocking defensive linemen while the siblings devoured dinner at a steakhouse.

As they laughed, Travis Kelce’s longtime manager, Aaron Eanes, realized that the moments delighting him could be projected to millions of viewers and listeners. Shortly after the meal, they all started talking seriously about putting together a podcast.

“New Heights,” the audio and video series that the Kelces began in September 2022, now consistently ranks as the top weekly sports podcast on Apple, Spotify and other platforms, fueled in part by their teams’ Super Bowl matchup in February and Travis Kelce’s budding relationship with the pop star Taylor Swift.

“I think it’s fun and guys will keep doing it as long as there’s a thirst from the audience,” Jason Kelce said. “It feels like that’s the model a lot of guys are going to.”

The Kelces, whose teams will face off in a rematch on Monday night, are emblematic of the surge of N.F.L. players who have begun hosting podcasts during the season, a surprising development in a league that tends to suppress individuality. The next-man-up mind-set is pervasive in a violent sport that requires its athletes to be concealed in helmets, and in a league that enforces a strict uniform policy and delivers five-figure fines for excessive celebrations.

But an influx of younger, more tolerant coaches and executives, as well as players who are becoming more business-conscious, has opened the door for several N.F.L. stars to moonlight as podcast hosts, including Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller, Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons and Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.