The Chiefs have made Travis Kelce the highest paid tight end in the NFL. (Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The Kansas City Chiefs know better than to screw around with a good thing, announcing on Monday that they’ve signed star tight end Travis Kelce to a new contract that reportedly makes him the highest-paid tight end in football.
It isn’t, however, an extension as initially reported. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero corrected his earlier report that Kelce’s new deal was an extension through the 2027 season. Instead, he’s getting a raise to $34.25 million on the remaining two years of his existing contract that runs through 2025. He was previously due $30.25 million over those two years.
This jibes with a social media video the Chiefs posted of Kelce proclaiming, “I can’t wait to get after it these next two years” in response to his reworked contract.
The Chiefs haven’t offered any clarification on the deal other than announcing that they signed Kelce to “a new contract.”
The new deal pays Kelce an average salary of $17.125 million per year. That would make him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, stealing that title from Darren Waller of the New York Giants, who is making $17 million.
Kelce, 34, is a nine-time Pro Bowler who has been by quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ side for all four of the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl appearances, all of which have come in the last five years and have resulted in three trophies. He’s caught 907 passes for 11,328 yards and 74 touchdowns over his 11-year career, and from 2016 through 2022 Kelce put up at least 1,000 yards in each season. He was also a first-team All-Pro four times.
And speaking of Mahomes, he was absolutely thrilled to see that the Chiefs’ head honchos rewarded Kelce with a new contract.
Travis wasn’t the only Kelce brother in the news on Monday. After retiring this offseason, Jason Kelce is reportedly joining ESPN’s “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show as an analyst for the 2024 season. The brothers already co-host the popular podcast “New Heights.”
