Three-time Super Bowl winner Travis Kelce has agreed to a two-year contract extension with the Kansas City Chiefs, making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL
Travis Kelce has penned a fresh contract with the Kansas City Cheifs, thus securing his spot as the best-paid tight end in the NFL.
Announced on Monday, the 34-year-old has penned a two-year deal with the Chiefs. This lucrative contract pushes Kelce’s earning above Darren Waller’s $17million (£13.5m) per annum deal with the New York Giants.
Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes exhaled jubilation upon hearing the news of Kelce’s extension, tweeting: “I told yall I’ll never let him leave! ! Congrats my guy!”
Before signing this golden egg of a deal, Kelce was the fourth best-paid tight end in NFL, pulling in $14.3m (£11.4m) while lagging behind 49ers’ George Kittle ($15m/£11.9m), Vikings’ TJ Hockenson ($16.5m/£13.1m) and Waller.
His readiness to constantly undertake team-beneficial contracts over the years has been key to Chiefs’ recent wave of dominance, giving Kansas City autonomy to allocate funds towards other key players and free agents.
Speaking to Vanity Fair last June, Kelce confessed that the marvellous performances he puts out on field aren’t exactly married with the compensation he receives. “My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am,” he said. “Any time I talk about wanting more money, they’re just like, ‘Why don’t you go to the Chiefs and ask them?'”
The pay gap really hit home for Kelce after his former teammate Tyreek Hill bagged a massive four-year, $120million (£95.5m) deal with the Miami Dolphins in 2022. “When I saw Tyreek go and get 30 [million] a year, in the back of my head, I was like, man, ‘That’s two to three times what I’m making right now,'” Kelce continued.
“I’m like, ‘The free market looks like fun until you go somewhere and you don’t win.’ I love winning. I love the situation I’m in.”
Despite a slight dip in his regular-season stats last year, Kelce bounced back spectacularly during the playoffs, pulling in 32 catches for 355 yards and four touchdowns, helping the Chiefs secure their second Super Bowl title in a row – their third in just five years.
With Kelce now secured in the team until at least 2027, many of the Chiefs’ top players are under contract for the foreseeable future. Thanks to a whopping 10-year, $450m ($358.2m) deal signed in 2020, Mahomes is set to stay in Kansas City until 2033.
Meanwhile, defensive tackle Chris Jones has just signed a five-year, $158.75m (£126.4m) deal this offseason. Head coach Andy also penned a contract extension that extends through 2029 earlier this month.
