The Chiefs have kept their decision-making nucleus in place for years to come, and the same is also true of All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce. The latter has agreed to a two-year extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. The team has since announced the move.
This deal will make Kelce the league’s highest-paid tight end, Rapoport adds. That comes as little surprise considering the success Kelce has had in recent years and the pivotal role he has played in Kansas City’s three Super Bowl titles across the past four seasons. The future Hall of Famer is now on the books through 2027.
Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero notes Kelce will receive $34.25MM in new money tacked onto the two years which were in place on his previous pact. Guaranteed compensation is now in place for 2024, and Pelissero notes year-over-year vesting will lock in money for future years.
In terms of annual compensation, Darren Waller entered this offseason atop the tight end pecking order ($17MM). This new Kelce deal will surpass that mark, meaning he will receive a raise compared to the remainder of his existing contract. That deal carried an AAV of just over $14.3MM, which ranked fourth at the position. The 34-year-old was due $13MM in 2024 and $17.25MM the following year, but his remaining base salaries those seasons were not guaranteed.
Kelce was inactive for the Chiefs’ regular season finale in 2023, and that left him just short of the 1,000-yard mark for the campaign. That ended a streak of reaching 1,000 or more yards in seven straight seasons, but it still yielded a ninth consecutive Pro Bowl nod. The Cincinnati product has added four first-team All-Pro nods and a place on the 2010s All-Decade team list to his decorated resume.
Of course, Kelce’s significance to the Chiefs’ title-winning teams will be a major aspect of his legacy. The former third-rounder is one of only three players in NFL history to lead a Super Bowl champion in receiving yards three times (the other two being Jerry Rice and Michael Irvin). Kelce will be counted on as Patrick Mahomes‘ top target for years to come.
Kansas City dealt with inconsistencies in the receiving corps during the 2023 season, and many of the team’s top WR options are still in the fold. Rashee Rice faces a potential suspension, and the likes of Kadarius Toney, Skyy Moore and Justin Watson have not lived up to expectations so far. The Chiefs signed Marquise Brown in free agency and selected Xavier Worthy in the first round of the draft, but Kelce is by far the most known commodity in the team’s skill position room.
Concerns about the latter’s age will likely be raised with this new pact, one which runs counter to his previous stance regarding being paid below market value. Kelce made it clear during the postseason that retirement is not on his mind, though, and this agreement confirms he will be in place for years to come. As such, the foundational elements of Kansas City’s success are set to return for the 2024 campaign and beyond.
Well at least SOMEONE in that relationship is earning some dough!
Hahaha
He’s not a TE, he’s a tall, slow WR.
He’s a 1st ballot HoF as well.
He’s really good at what he does, I’ll admit that. Also, Kermit.
No. He’s a HOF tight end. One of the all time best.
No. He’s exactly what I said.
No. You’re wrong. You’re the only one not bright enough to realize it.
Slow, tall WR derp.
Slow, dumb troll.
You are…I agree. Layne doesn’t like you either.
He’s older and heavier than every full time receiver in the NFL. It would be weird if he were faster than them, too.
A real TE will block. You know, like Gronk?
Gee, it’s almost like they can get other players to block and use their aging superstar pass catcher more as a pass catcher. Judging a great player for what he isn’t is silly, especially when he’s a decade into his career.
And some fans evolve their traditional thinking as times change.
lol
Best player for the money in the NFL. Now at least he can contribute to the wedding.
Bet vegas is taking bets on them2 n when they break up. Was good yr 2B Chiefs fan.
Those saying he isn’t a real TE I feel that. Because he doesn’t do what traditional TEs do. But at the same time Tony G didn’t really block either but is up there near the top at position.
Player positions evolve with the game and Kelce has excelled in the changing of a position. Most teams now carry an offensive minded TE and a blocking scheme TE. Same thing happened in hockey where teams carry offensive minded defensemen but also carry traditional hard nosed defensemen as well.
They also don’t want the #1 receiver on two straight Super Bowl winners to get hurt or worn down taking on blocking roles that other guys could. Imagine that!
He did start showing signs of wear and tear last year and was sometimes non-existent in games. This is why I’m surprised they gave him more money when he has apparently started to hit his wall and has begun declining. Not everybody can play until they are 40+ years old.
I don’t know why people have a hard time just saying Kelce been the best receiving TE in the game and Kittle has been the best overall TE.
If you take their stats and divide it by the # of games played, you would be surprised how close they are.
I love Kittle and he contributes more as a blocker, but he’s not close to Kelce as an offensive contributor. Kelce has a sizable advantage in receptions, yards, and touchdowns on a per game basis in the regular season, and he has half as many touchdowns just in the playoffs as Kittle has in his whole career. He’s also been more durable. And when Kelce was still in his 20s, he usually topped 90% of the team’s offensive snaps played. Again, I love me some Kittle, but his blocking is not enough to make him a better overall TE than Kelce.
I’m just saying, don’t just look at the raw numbers. Stats per game, Kelce is 1 catch for 7 yards better per game. Thats not a sizable advantage. He has just played longer. Again, I totally agree with Kelce being the best receiving TE but i don’t think 1 catch for 7 yards more per game outweighs a beast who blocks like crazy.
Having played longer also means that Kelce’s averages include several years of his 30s, which doesn’t typically help someone’s cause.
If you include playoff stats in their career averages:
Kelce: 5.9 catches for 73.1 yards and .51 TDs per game
Kittle: 4.48 catches for 61.2 yards and 3.54 TDs per game.
Between that and playing more (including having played more by Kittle’s age than Kittle has now), I would say that outweighs Kittle. Kittle also hasn’t gotten nearly as much attention from opposing defenses as Kelce has. And it’s not like Kelce has historically been a bad blocker. They run him out there to block a lot less now that he’s deep in his 30s.
Imagine what Kittle would have if he had the amount of targets Kelce gets. If Kittle had the same amount of targets Kelce had in those first seven full seasons, they tie in catches and Kittle is better in yards and TD’s. I think it’s more a product of their offenses and what is asked of them more then who is better. Kittle is usually the 3rd or 4th option where Kelce is expecting 130-150 targets a game. Kittle hasn’t had 100 targets since 2019.
I get that SF has a lot of weapons, but if Kittle were Kelce’s caliber of receiving threat, he wouldn’t be a fourth option afterthought in the playoffs.
I think Taylor made more in the last week with the new album dropping
Dude stays winning lmao it’s well deserved. Hall of famer athlete
But is he still a tool?
I’m not a Chiefs but this is the one guy that probably should be getting paid the highest for his position in the league. He’s very good, but like, look at all of the this extra Taylor Swift revenue. That’s a thing unfortunately in these days. But you’re going to pay that guy less than Darren Waller?