San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle stirred the pot in Kansas City recently when he unpromptedly told Pro Football Talk that he felt Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is underpaid.
Kelce, 32, signed a four-year, $57.25 million contract extension with the Chiefs in 2020. This year, he will make a base salary of $6.5 million with $2 million in guarantees and another $2.4 million in bonuses, per Over The Cap.
Kelce addressed the comments made by Kittle during OTAs on May 26.
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“I appreciate Kittle saying that,” Kelce said during his press conference. “That’s my guy and he always wants to see every tight end get paid as much as their production is. But at the same time, I signed my contract understanding what I had. I put a lot into this, man. Money, in my mind, is almost secondary at this point in my career. I’m here for the legacy and I’m here to try and make the Kansas City Chiefs the best team possible. So that’s my main focus. That’s why I’m here.”
Kelce’s comments are music to Chiefs Kingdom’s ears. Instead of being worried about money, he’s more concerned about winning championships, putting the team’s needs in front of his own.
Kittle Gushes Over Kelce, Says He’s Underpaid
Kelce’s contract was brought up when Kittle was asked by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk to identify the tight end in the league that impresses him the most.
“I mean Travis Kelce, six seasons in a row, 1000 yards,” Kittle said, as transcribed by PFT. “I’m pretty sure he has the most receiving yards over any wide receiver, skill position in the last six years. He gets paid half of what a wide receiver makes, which just boggles my mind. I mean, to me, Travis Kelce, he’s been doing it for so long and at such a high level. And he doesn’t have an off game. I think he has one bad game a year, and it’s just because he’s getting triple-teamed.
“He’s a player I look at like, when he gets the ball in his hands, he’s a monster. . . . More tight ends and more tight ends are starting to get the ball more, starting to be more part of the offense, be more explosive. [I] love watching Darren Waller. [I] love watching Mark Andrews. [Zach] Ertz is really fun now down in Arizona. That’s just fun to see him just kind of dominate, getting a lot of touchdowns. [T.J.] Hockenson, [Robert] Tonyan. There’s all these tight ends that are explosive and fun to watch, but Kelce — when you have six 1.000 yards in a row, you’re hell of a football player.”
Kittle went on to explain the importance of the tight end position among teams that succeed in the NFL.
“Every NFL team… that’s won a Super Bowl or been to the Super Bowl for like the last five years has had an All-Pro tight end a part of the team,” Kittle said. “I feel a tight end’s not just like a cog in the wheel, it’s an important position that can really add to your offense or diminish it.”
What’s Next for Chiefs in Offseason Program?
With the first set of OTAs over, next up on Kansas City’s offseason schedule is another set of OTAs, which will go from May 31 to June 2. The team’s last set of OTAs will be from June 7 to 10.
After OTAs, the last time the Chiefs meet before summer break will be for mandatory minicamp from June 14 to 16.
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Travis Kelce Reacts to 49ers TE George Kittle’s Comments