The Kansas City Chiefs and four-time All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce have agreed to a two-year deal, according to CBS Sports senior NFL insider Jonathan Jones. The Chiefs have since announced the news.
This deal replaces the two years and $30.25 million that the 34-year-old Kelce had on his old contract, per NFL Media. While he's still under team control through the 2025 season, the future Hall of Fame tight end will see a pay bump of $34.25 million. Kelce now has guaranteed money in 2024 ($17M) and an average annual value of $17.125 million over the next two seasons ($17M in 2024, $17.25M in 2025), per Sports Illustrated, which makes him the league's highest-paid tight end.
The deal will take Kelce through his age 36 season, setting up the possibility he plays his entire career with Kansas City.
Chiefs forever 🫶 Tell ‘em, @tkelce! pic.twitter.com/88VtkjdPct
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) April 29, 2024
Chiefs quarterback and three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes reacted to the news, saying, "I told yall I'll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy!"
I told yall I’ll never let him leave!! Congrats my guy! @tkelce https://t.co/9sqkZY8mU8
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) April 29, 2024
Kelce earned his big pay day with 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns in 15 regular-season games in 2023, along with 355 yards on 32 receptions with three touchdowns in helping the Chiefs repeat as Super Bowl champions.
He is already known as one of the best, if not the best, tight ends to ever play the position. He is a three-time Super Bowl champion, a four-time First Team All-Pro and nine-time Pro Bowler.
Kelce fielded questions this season on if it would be his last, or if retirement was on his mind. He officially shut down those rumors as he held his third Lombardi Trophy, telling the crowd and the fans at home, "I'll see y'all next year."
Another year of Kelce and Mahomes means another year where the Chiefs are among the favorites to win it all. This offseason, Chiefs have made moves to keep some key pieces locked in, signing head coach Andy Reid to multi-year contract extension that keeps him under contract until the 2029 season. General manager Brett Veach and team president Mark Donovan also signed extensions.
After winning two championships in two years, Kelce and the rest of K.C. are looking to three-peat.
His brother Jason Kelce, who is two years his senior, announced his retirement this offseason, after spending his entire career with the Philadelphia Eagles as their star center.
Correction: An early version of this story misstated the nature of Kelce's contract. The story has been updated to reflect that correction.
