Relatives in the NFL: Complete List

Eli and Peyton Manning. J.J., Derek, and T.J. Watt. The NFL is filled with famous athletic families passing their athletic genes down from generation to generation. Playing alongside a brother or following in your father’s footsteps can provide a unique support system and invaluable head start. Let’s explore some of the most prominent relatives in the NFL.

List of Second-Generation NFL Players

Claims of nepotism and elite networking follow every major sports league including the NFL. Some second generation NFL Players have gained the respect of fans while others are debatable.

Active NFL Players are listed in BOLD.

Father	POS.	Son	POS.
Tony Adamle	RB/LB	Mike Adamle	RB
George Adams	RB	Jamal Adams	SS
Julius Adams	DL	Keith Adams	LB
Sam Adams Sr.	OL	Sam Adams Jr.	DL
Ray Agnew Jr.	DL	Ray Agnew III	FB
Allen Aldridge Sr.	DL	Allen Aldridge Jr.	LB
Bruce Alford Sr.	End	Bruce Alford Jr.	K
Flipper Anderson	WR	Dres Anderson	WR
Charlie Ane Jr.	C	Charlie Ane III	C
Gene Atkins	S	Gene “Geno” Atkins Jr.	DT
George Atkinson Jr.	S	George Atkinson III	RB
Marion Barber Jr.	RB	Marion Barber III	RB
		Dominique Barber	S
Rudy Barber	LB	Kantroy Barber	RB
Bobby Bell Sr. *	LB/DE	Bobby Bell Jr.	LB
Caesar Belser	LB/S	Jason Belser	S
Bob Bercich	S	Pete Bercich	LB
John Bettridge	LB/FB	Ed Bettridge	LB
Horatio Benedict Blades Sr.	S	Horatio Benedict Blades Jr.	LB
John Bosa	DE	Joey Bosa	DE
		Nick Bosa	DE
Jonathan “John” Bostic Sr.	DB	Jonathan “Jon” Bostic II	LB
Ed Bradley Sr.	G/DE	Ed Bradley Jr.	LB
Harold Bradley Sr.	G	Harold Bradley Jr.	G
Clyde Brock	T	Matt Brock	DE
Perry Brooks	DT	Ahmad Brooks	LB
Tony Brooks	RB	Anthony Barr	LB
Orlando Brown	OT	Orlando Brown Jr.	OT
Keith Browner	LB	Keith Browner Jr.	DE
Ross Browner	DE	Max Starks	T
Ed Budde	G	Brad Budde	G
George Buehler	G	David Buehler	K
Hank Bullough	G	Chuck Bullough	LB
Jim Burrow	DB	Joe Burrow	QB
Devin Bush Sr.	S	Devin Bush Jr.	LB
Gill Byrd	CB	Jairus Byrd	S
Ken Campbell	WR	Scott Campbell	QB
Billy Cannon Sr.	RB/TE/E	Billy Cannon Jr.	LB
Reg Carolan	TE	Brett Carolan	TE
Maurice Carthon	FB	Ran Carthon	RB
Rob Carpenter Jr.	RB	Bobby Carpenter III	LB
Dale Carter	CB	Nigel Warrior	S/CB
Rubin Carter	DT	Andre Carter	DE
Wendell Cason	CB	Antoine Cason	CB
Jeremiah Castille	CB	Tim Castille	FB
		Simeon Castille	CB
Paul Coffman	TE	Chase Coffman	TE
Craig Colquitt	P	Dustin Colquitt	P
		Britton Colquitt	P
Steve DeOssie	C	Zak DeOssie	LB
Tony Dorsett *	RB	Anthony Dorsett	S
Stan Edwards	RB	Braylon Edwards	WR
Mario Edwards	CB	Mario Edwards Jr.	DE
Riki Ellison	LB	Rhett Ellison	TE
Luther Elliss	DT	Kaden Elliss	LB
George Farmer	WR	Danny Farmer	WR
Chuck Foreman	RB	Jay Foreman	LB
Joe Francis	QB	Jon Francis	RB
		Ikaika Alama-Francis	DE
Derrick Gaffney	WR	Jabar Gaffney	WR
Tom Graham	LB	Daniel Graham	TE
Bob Griese *	QB	Brian Griese	QB
Russ Grimm *	G	Cody Grimm	S
Pat Harlow	T	Sean Harlow	G
Britt Hager	LB	Bryce Hager	LB
Don Hasselbeck	TE	Matt Hasselbeck	QB
		Tim Hasselbeck	QB
Andy Heck	OT/OL	Charlie Heck	OT
Craig Heyward	FB	Cameron Heyward	DT
		Connor Heyward	TE/FB
Wally Highsmith	G	Alonzo Highsmith	RB
James Hodgins	FB	Isaiah Hodgins	WR
Joe Horn	WR	Jaycee Horn	DB
Bobby Humphrey	RB	Marlon Humphrey	CB
Maurice Hurst (cornerback)	CB	Maurice Hurst Jr.	DL
Henry Hynoski Sr.	FB	Henry Hynoski Jr.	FB
Mark Ingram Sr.	WR	Mark Ingram II	RB
Vanchi LaShawn Jefferson Sr.	WR	Vanchi LaShawn Jefferson Jr.	WR
Jason Johnson	WR	Jon’Vea Johnson	WR
Dub Jones	RB	Bert Jones	QB
Robert Jones	LB	Zay Jones	WR
Steve Jordan	TE	Cameron Jordan	DE
Jack Kemp	QB	Jeff Kemp	QB
Joe Klecko *	DE/DT	Dan Klecko	DT/FB
Earl Leggett	DT	Brad Leggett	C
Howie Long *	DL	Chris Long	DE
		Kyle Long	G
Ronnie Lott *	S	Ryan Nece	LB
Oliver Luck	QB	Andrew Luck	QB
Archie Manning	QB	Eli Manning	QB
		Peyton Manning *	QB
Marv Marinovich	G	Todd Marinovich	QB
Jerry Marion	WR	Brock Marion	S
Tee Martin	QB	Amari Rodgers	WR
Stafford Mays	DL	Taylor Mays	S
James McAlister	RB	Chris McAlister	CB
Ed McCaffrey	WR	Christian McCaffrey	RB
		Luke McCaffrey	WR
		Max McCaffrey	WR
Willie McClendon	RB	Bryan McClendon	WR
Lawrence McCutcheon	RB	Daylon McCutcheon	CB
Terrence Metcalf	G	DK Metcalf	WR
Terry Metcalf	PR/RB	Eric Metcalf	PR/WR/RB
Corey Miller	LB	Christian Miller	LB
Randy Moss *	WR	Thaddeus Moss	TE
Ted Nesser Jr.	C/G/T	Charlie Nesser	RB
Walter Payton *	RB	Jarrett Payton	RB
Todd Peat	G	Andrus Peat	OT
Bruce Perkins	RB	Paul Perkins	RB
		Bryce Perkins	QB
Brett Perriman	WR	Breshad Perriman	WR
Michael Pittman Sr.	RB	Michael Pittman Jr.	WR
Joey Porter	LB	Joey Porter Jr.	CB
Ricky Proehl	WR	Austin Proehl	WR
Montae Reagor	DT	Jalen Reagor	WR
Willie Jake Reed	WR	J. R. Reed	S
Terry Robiskie	RB	Brian Robiskie	WR
		Andrew Robiskie	C/G
Jon Runyan Sr.	OT	Jon Runyan Jr.	G
Tom Ruud	LB	Barrett Ruud	LB
Asante Samuel Sr.	CB	Asante Samuel Jr.	CB
Don Shula *	CB	Dave Shula	WR
Phil Simms	QB	Chris Simms	QB
		Matt Simms	QB
Jackie Slater *	OT	Matthew Slater	WR/ST
Irv Smith Sr.	TE	Irv Smith Jr.	TE
Ron Springs	RB	Shawn Springs	CB
Steve Stonebreaker	LB	Mike Stonebreaker	LB
Patrick Surtain	CB	Patrick Surtain II	CB
Steve Suhey	G	Matt Suhey	RB
Mosi Tatupu	RB	Lofa Tatupu	LB
Al Toon	WR	Nick Toon	WR
Manu Tuiasosopo	DL	Marques Tuiasosopo	QB
		Zach Tuiasosopo	FB/RB
Jessie Tuggle	LB	Grady Jarrett	DE
		Justin Tuggle	LB
Maurice Turner	RB	Bryan Kehl	LB
		Billy Turner	OT
Brad Van Pelt	LB	Bradlee Van Pelt	QB
Ted Washington Sr.	LB	Ted Washington Jr.	DL
Tim Watson	S	Christian Watson	WR
David Whitehurst	QB	Charlie Whitehurst	QB
George Wilson Sr.	E	George Wilson Jr.	QB
Cedrick Wilson Sr.	WR	Cedrick Wilson Jr.	WR
Stanley Wilson Sr.	RB	Stanley Wilson Jr.	CB
Tommy Wilson	HB	Steve Wilson	DB/WR
Tim Wilson	RB	Josh Wilson	CB
Antoine Winfield Sr.	CB	Antoine Winfield Jr.	S
Kellen Winslow *	TE	Kellen Winslow II	TE
Robert Woods Sr.	WR	Robert Woods Jr.	WR

Third-Generation NFL Players

Grandfather	Position	Son(s)	Position	Grandson(s)	Position
Nick Chickillo	LB	Tony Chickillo	NT	Anthony Chickillo	LB
Ted Karras Sr.	DT	Ted Karras Jr.	DT	Ted Karras III	OL
Jake Kupp	G	Craig Kupp	QB	Cooper Kupp	WR
Clay Matthews Sr.	DL	Clay Matthews Jr.	LB	Clay Matthews III	LB
				Casey Matthews	LB
		Bruce Matthews *	OL	Kevin Matthews	OL
				Jake Matthews	OL
Palmer Pyle	G	Eric Kumerow	DE	Jake Kumerow	WR
George Pyne II	T	George Pyne III	DT	Jim Pyne	OL

Has a Dad Ever Coached His Son in the NFL?

Yes, it’s happened a few times in NFL history. Most notably, Wade Phillips served as defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos from 2015-2016 while his father Bum Phillips was the team’s head coach in the early 1990s.

What Father and Son Won the Super Bowl with the Same Team?

In a legacy accomplishment very few can claim, Archie Manning won Super Bowl XII with the Baltimore Colts as the starting quarterback in 1978. Decades later, his son Peyton Manning led the same franchise (now the Indianapolis Colts) to victory in Super Bowl XLI after the 2006 season.

Are There Siblings in the NFL?

Many of us are familiar with the popular relatives in the NFL like the Manning’ s or Kelce’s but the list gets a lot more extensive. Here’s a bit more on brothers who have played in the NFL.

List of Brothers in the NFL

Christian, Max, and Luke McCaffrey

• Christian McCaffrey (born 1996) is a running back for the San Francisco 49ers. He is a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2019, 2020) and was named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 2019.
• Max McCaffrey (born 1994) is a wide receiver who last played for the San Francisco 49ers in 2020.
• Luke McCaffrey (born 1999) is a quarterback for the Stanford Cardinal.

Jason and Travis Kelce

• Travis Kelce (born 1989) is a tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is a six-time Pro Bowl selection (2016-2021) and has won two Super Bowls (LIV, LV) with the Chiefs.
• Jason Kelce (born 1987) was a center for the Philadelphia Eagles. He is a five-time Pro Bowl selection (2017-2021) and won a Super Bowl (LII) with the Eagles. Recently retired in 2024.

Peyton and Eli Manning

• Peyton Manning (born 1976) is a retired quarterback who played for the Indianapolis Colts and Denver Broncos.He is a five-time NFL MVP (2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013) and won two Super Bowls (XLI, XVIII) with different teams (Colts and Broncos).
• Eli Manning (born 1981) is a retired quarterback who played for the New York Giants. He won two Super Bowls (XLII, XLVI) with the Giants and was named Super Bowl MVP in both games.

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

• J.J. Watt (born 1989) is a defensive end for the Arizona Cardinals. He is a five-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) and has been selected to the Pro Bowl five times (2012-2016).
• Derek Watt (born 1990) is a fullback for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He has won two Super Bowls (XLIII, XLVI) with the Steelers.
• T.J. Watt (born 1994) is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is a three-time Pro Bowl selection (2020-2022) and was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2021.

Aaron and Jordan Rodgers

• Aaron Rodgers (born 1983) is a quarterback for the New York Jets. He is a four-time NFL MVP (2011, 2014,2019, 2020) and won Super Bowl XLV with the Packers.
• Jordan Rodgers (born 1985) is a former quarterback who last played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2017, but was cut shortly after.

Dan, Chris, and Rob Gronkowski

• Rob Gronkowski (born 1985) is a retired tight end who played for the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He is a four-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI, LIII, LV) and is widely considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time.
• Dan Gronkowski (born 1989) is a former fullback who played for the Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.
• Chris Gronkowski (born 1986) is a former tight end who played for the Arizona Cardinals and Indianapolis Colts.

Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin

• Shaquill Griffin (born 1995) is a cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2019.
• Shaquem Griffin (born 1995) is a linebacker for the Seattle Seahawks. He is a bilateral amputee who plays with a prosthetic left hand.

Devin and Jason McCourty

• Devin McCourty (born 1987) is a safety for the New England Patriots. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion (XLIX, LI) and has been selected to the Pro Bowl six times (2010, 2011, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2020).
• Jason McCourty (born 1987) is a former cornerback who played for 13 seasons in the NFL. He played for the Tennessee Titans (2009-2016), Cleveland Browns (2017), New England Patriots (2018-2020), and Miami Dolphins (2021). He won Super Bowl LIII with the Patriots. After retiring in 2022, Jason transitioned to media and currently co-hosts the podcast “Double Coverage with the McCourty Twins” with his brother Devin, and is a host on the NFL Network’s Emmy Award-winning show “Good Morning Football.”

Ryan and Matt Kalil

• Ryan Kalil (born 1984) is a retired center who played for the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers. He was selected to the Pro Bowl five times (2012-2016).
• Matt Kalil (born 1989) is a retired left tackle who played for the Minnesota Vikings. He was selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2012, 2013).

Michael and Martellus Bennett

• Michael Bennett (born 1985) is a defensive end who last played for the New England Patriots in 2019. He has won a Super Bowl (LI) with the Patriots.
• Martellus Bennett (born 1987) is a retired tight end who played for several teams including the Chicago Bears,New England Patriots, and Green Bay Packers. He won a Super Bowl (LI) with the Patriots.

Clay and Casey Matthews

• Clay Matthews (born 1983) is a retired linebacker who played for the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams.He was selected to the Pro Bowl six times (2010-2014, 2016) and won a Super Bowl (XLV) with the Packers.
• Casey Matthews (born 1989) is a linebacker for the Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected to the Pro Bowl three times (2014, 2015, 2018).

Cam and Caylin and Cecil Newton

• Cam Newton (born 1985) is a quarterback who last played for the Carolina Panthers in 2021. He won the NFL MVP award in 2015 and led the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.
• Caylin Newton (born 1997) is a wide receiver for the Washington Commanders.
• Cecil Newton (born 1988) is a former tight end who last played for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016.

Stefon and Trevon Diggs

• Stefon Diggs (born 1993) is a wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills. He was selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2019,2020).
• Trevon Diggs (born 1999) is a cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys. He was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2021.

Joey and Nick Bosa

• Joey Bosa (born 1994) is a defensive end for the Los Angeles Chargers. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl four times (2016, 2017, 2019, 2020)
• Nick Bosa (born 1997) is a defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers. He was named the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2019 and has been selected to the Pro Bowl twice (2019, 2021).

What Two Brothers Are Currently Head Coaches in the NFL?

The NFL is currently home to a few sibling coaching duos – brothers Sean McVay (Los Angeles Rams) and Jim McVay (Detroit Lions) are both head coaches. Past brother coaching combos include the Shanahans (Mike and Kyle) and the Harbaughs (John and Jim).

While athletic talent and knowledge of the game can provide a head start, making it to the NFL still requires immense dedication, skill, and sometimes the right connections. As the current generation of superstars eventually retires, we may very well see their own children carrying the family name to new heights in the years ahead.