Current and former Philadelphia Eagles players Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce have recorded three Christmas albums — and donated the proceeds to local charities.Current and former Philadelphia Eagles players Jordan Mailata, Lane Johnson and Jason Kelce have recorded three Christmas albums — and donated the proceeds to local charities.
Every NFL offensive lineman needs a good set of pipes — typically, to yell at each other on the field about shifting formations or baiting a defense.
Philadelphia Eagles players Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, and ex-star Jason Kelce, use their voices for a different project each offseason: For the past three years, they’ve recorded and sold Christmas albums under the artist name The Philly Specials. Their CDs and vinyl records of classic Christmas songs currently sell for anywhere from $15 to $75 each, according to their website, and the profits are donated to charities throughout the Philadelphia area.
The group has donated more than $4.5 million, as of December 17, 2024, according to Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s office.
“I think with the City of Philadelphia, the support system that we have, the brotherhood, the community in this thing has grown to what it is,” Johnson told the Eagles’ website last year. “But it all started with love for music and the joy of a friendship, and that’s what makes it so special.”
One such charity was the Fund for the School District of Philadelphia, with which the Philly Specials partnered last year to deliver a Christmas gift to every child in the city. They ended up giving gifts to roughly 200,000 students at local public and charter schools, says fund president Kathryn Epps.
The citywide effort ended up also including contributions from Amazon, Fanatics and other toy manufacturers and retailers, she says: “I’m still in shock a little bit. So many people stepped up to the plate and really put their money or their resources where their mouth was.”
The Philly Specials’ 2024 release, which came out on November 22, marks the group’s final album, they told ABC’s “Good Morning America” last year. Their name references a play called the “Philly Special” that helped the Eagles win the Super Bowl in early 2018. The Eagles made the NFL championship game again in 2022, losing to the Kansas City Chiefs — making this year’s big game on Sunday a rematch.
Johnson and Mailata should see plenty of the field, as the Eagles’ two starting offensive tackles. Mailata is in the middle of a four-year, $64 million contract, and Johnson is nearing the end of a four-year, $72 million contract, according to Spotrac.
Kelce retired from football last year, earning nearly $82 million over 12 years with the Eagles, according to Spotrac. He now makes an estimated $8 million per year, on average, as an ESPN commentator, The Athletic reported on Thursday.
He and his brother Travis — who plays for the Chiefs — also signed a podcast distribution deal reportedly worth more than $100 million with Amazon-owned Wondery last year, for their “New Heights” podcast.
Regardless of the Super Bowl’s outcome, the trio’s side hustle made a mark on Philadelphia, Epps says.
“Most of the players who come here, they do just that. They come here to play.” she says. “For [Johnson, Kelce and Mailata] to come to Philadelphia and invest so deeply in the community … is something that is so heartwarming, and it’s definitely a great example to follow.”
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