NFL Fans Shocked as Carrie Underwood's $18 Million Pay Outpaces Players Like Travis Kelce

Carrie Underwood is being paid more than some of the biggest NFL stars for her less than one-minute appearances each week as the voice behind the iconic Sunday Night Football (SNF) theme song. The hefty paycheck has been an increasingly popular subject of discussion in recent times, bringing to question the value of her performances compared with those on the field.


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Millions for a Minute: Carrie Underwood's NFL Payday


Of course, Carrie Underwood - winner of the fourth season of American Idol and famous for those wondrous pipes - has become synonymous with Sunday Night Football. Millions watch each week not only for the game but also to catch one minute of that priceless opening ceremony she does each week. Her brief guest shots come with a pretty penny: $1 million per performance, sources have reported.


This adds up to a jaw-dropping $18 million over the course of the 18-week NFL season for Underwood, who has become synonymous with NFL primetime entertainment.


As impressive as Underwood's income is, a few eyebrows were raised across the NFL community—a few more so especially when compared to the players who spend hours on the field each week. It seems MLFootball recently highlighted a list of players, including a certain star tight end, Travis Kelce , who make less in a year than Underwood makes in just one season of singing for SNF.



Current Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is among the league's top tight ends. Kelce signed a two-year deal that will average $17.125 million annually.

He, of course, is one of the league's highest-paid players, earning less than Underwood does, who, incidentally does little more besides singing a little ditty at the start of every week.


Other Notable NFL Stars Missed out

And Kelce isn't alone. Other NFL players who are being out-earned by Underwood include running back Christian McCaffrey , wide receiver Mike Evans , and linebacker Joey Bosa. Even rising star quarterback CJ Stroud earns less than Underwood for his season-long efforts on the gridiron.



The contrast has created all sorts of conversation about where people put their value—entertainment or athleticism, especially in light of how much these players have had to give up physically in order to play a season's worth of games.


Fans Weigh In: Do NFL Players Deserve to Get Paid More?

Whereas it is no secret Underwood can more than hold her own vocally, some fans feel she earns more than the players of the NFL. Some say that if these are the guys risking broken bones on the field, they should earn more, and others say the entertainment factor that Underwood brings to the party is a massive part of why the NFL thrives in the marketing realm.


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