Getty Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce at the American Century Championship.
When all is said and done, Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce will go down as one of the best tight ends to ever play the game. Not only that, he should easily finish as a top-50 all-time receiver in terms of yardage — currently ranked 68th and rising.
The Chiefs technically have Kelce under contract until the end of the 2025 season but after the recent spike in the WR market, the argument could be made that he’s drastically underpaid. In fact, fellow tight end George Kittle did publicly make that argument earlier this spring.
“I’m pretty sure he has the most receiving yards over any wide receiver [or] skill position in the last six years,” Kittle told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “He gets paid half of what a wide receiver makes which just boggles my mind.”
It’s true — the top wide receivers are currently making anywhere from $25 to $30 million per year, while Kelce is earning a shade under $15 million per year. That begs the question, what does the superstar tight end feel he’s currently worth?
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Kelce: ‘You Can’t Pay Me Enough Baby’
During a candid interview with KSHB41 sports anchor Aaron Ladd from the American Century Championship golf tournament, Kelce wasn’t shy about answering that exact question.
“You can’t pay me enough baby,” Kelce said with a smile. “It’s just who I am, man. I’ll always be one of the best of the best out there, I put my heart into this thing and I’m always going to go out there and give it my all.”
At face value, that might sound a little scary after the Tyreek Hill fiasco this offseason but as Kelce continued, his team-first personality did shine through as it generally does.
“I’m going to be the true professional that I am and try and make this team the best that it can be,” he concluded. “Make this city as proud as it can be of this team, that’s just who I am, man. I’ll let everybody else talk about the money situation but I’m excited about this season and I’m excited about where the Chiefs are going.”
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Looking Ahead on Kelce
Kelce’s latest extension was mostly backloaded into the later years so his base salary of $6.5 million in 2022 really feels like a discount, comparatively speaking. The Chiefs star doesn’t necessarily seem to mind, but that cap number will shoot up from 2023 through 2025.
In his final season on the books, Kelce is set to earn a base salary of $16.25 million with a cap hit of $18.65 million. Kansas City could save over $17 million by cutting the future Hall of Famer that offseason though, ahead of his age-36 campaign — which makes things very interesting.
Even if 2024, Kelce’s dead-cap hit is relatively minor if the franchise decided to go another direction.
Now, I’m not suggesting the Chiefs should part with Kelce but it will be interesting to see if terms are renegotiated before these larger cap numbers come to roost. Could another extension cut that figure while guaranteeing the fan-favorite more money in the long run? How long is Kelce planning to play in the NFL? Does he have any urge to help bridge the gap between tight ends and wide receivers?
These are all great questions to consider in the coming years as Kelce ventures into the back-end of his illustrious career.
Kelce’s Eagle Putt at Lake Tahoe
Kelce is known more for his shenanigans on the golf course than his game but he did have one impressive hole at the ACC tournament where he managed to shoot for an eagle (two under par). Sports reporter Billy Heyen tweeted out the video of the long putt that led to a wild celebration and one or two drinks with fans.
Travis Kelce made a putt from deep, he and Patrick Mahomes got very excited, and Mahomes’ putter may have gone into the water 🤣
The man of the people made sure to show supporters plenty of love this weekend as he always does. He even welcomed offers to chug beer with the local observers in Nevada.
.@tkelce out here having a good time with the fans 😂
Kelce finished 64th in the standings (out of 87 contestants) but it’s hard to argue anyone had a better time at this summer’s ACC golf tournament.