Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce made it clear to the team that he was hoping to receive a pay raise this offseason, but he wasn’t planning on making things difficult on the franchise with which he’s spent his entire 11-year career.
While speaking with his brother Jason Kelce on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, the 34-year-old said he never considered holding out to get his new deal and he’s grateful that he and the team were able to reach an agreement.
Kansas City Chiefs star tight end Travis Kelce made it clear to the team that he was hoping to receive a pay raise this offseason, but he wasn’t planning on making things difficult on the franchise with which he’s spent his entire 11-year career.
While speaking with his brother Jason Kelce on the latest episode of the New Heights podcast, the 34-year-old said he never considered holding out to get his new deal and he’s grateful that he and the team were able to reach an agreement.“I’m so excited and so thankful to this organization for getting it done, making me feel appreciated and compensated the right way, and on top of that I got to move the needle for the tight end room,” he said (h/t ESPN’s Adam Teicher). “It’s everyone else’s job to keep making that tight end AAV [average annual value] go up and up with every single contract that’s better than mine in the future. I’m so fricking thankful to [general manager] Brett Veach, [president] Mark Donovan, Coach [Andy] Reid — Big Red, I love you, big guy — and obviously [team owner] Clark Hunt.”
The Chiefs rewarded Kelce with a new two-year contract that makes him the highest-paid tight end in the league with an average annual value of $17.1 million. He had been scheduled to make $12 million in 2024, so his wish for a pay bump was granted without having to act out of character.
“I’m not a guy that sits out,” Kelce said. “I’m not a guy that holds out. I’m a guy that loves coming into the building, and the Chiefs know that. So, for them to want to get this done for me knowing how much blood, sweat and tears that I put into this thing, I’m extremely grateful.”
Kelce is universally regarded as one of the greatest tight ends of all time. He helped lead the Chiefs to their second straight Super Bowl title and third in the last five years this past season. The nine-time Pro Bowler is motivated to help Kansas City achieve a three-peat, which no team has ever done in the Super Bowl era.