Travis Kelce will stay in Kansas City for at least the next two seasons, due to a lucrative new contract that gives him the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
While this raises Kelce’s odds of retiring in two years, it also preserves his opportunity to sign a new agreement after the 2025-26 season if he chooses to stay. Shorter transactions allow players to return to the table more quickly, helping to reset the financial market at their respective positions.
According to Kelce on his New Heights podcast, pushing the value of tight ends forward was a big motivator for this reworked deal.
Trav and the Chiefs have agreed to a new contract and the Big Yeti could not be more thankful ❤️💛 @BWWings pic.twitter.com/MmNBF5Mfca
— New Heights (@newheightshow) May 1, 2024
Kelce thanked all of the main players in the Chiefs’ organization, including Andy Reid, Brett Veach, and Clark Hunt, for the chance and the appreciation.
He was also glad he “got to move the needle for the tight end room.” Kelce went on to say, “it’s everyone else’s job to go out there and keep making that tight end AAV number go up and up.”
The future Hall of Famer made it clear that he is “not a guy who holds out.” Kelce had no intention of generating a diversion in the locker room, demonstrating the great leadership we’ve grown to know and admire him for.
While I believe Kelce plans to retire when this contract expires, he might remain on a one-year deal to continue pushing the bar on tight end contracts. Kansas City will want him as long as he wants to play, especially if Super Bowls remain a possibility.
For the time being, we can continue to watch one of the finest Chiefs players in history.
