Kansas City Chiefs Finally Pay Travis Kelce, Make Him NFL's Highest-Paid TE

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It's a big day for the Kelce brothers! Shortly after news broke that Jason Kelce is headed to ESPN to join "Monday Night Countdown," news broke that the Kansas City Chiefs agreed to a two-year contract extension with tight end Travis Kelce. 

The deal was first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who also added a shout-out to Travis Kelce's agent, Mike Simon, in his reporting. It's pretty clear who Rapoport's source was on the deal. 

Kelce has talked in the past about being underpaid, but said he doesn't care because all he wants is to win. 

"My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am," Kelce told Vanity Fair last summer. "Any time I talk about wanting more money, they’re just like, ‘Why don’t you go to the Chiefs and ask them?’"

Patrick Mahomes raises the Lamar Hunt Trophy while Travis Kelce celebrates after the Kansas City Chiefs' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the AFC championship game at Arrowhead Stadium.

Patrick Mahomes raises the Lamar Hunt Trophy while Travis Kelce celebrates after the Kansas City Chiefs' 23-20 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2023 AFC Championship Game.

(Sam Greene/USA TODAY Network)

Well, apparently, he went to the Chiefs and asked them. Now, he's reportedly the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. 

Prior to this deal, Darren Waller was the highest-paid TE in the league by average annual value ($17M), George Kittle had the largest total value ($75M) and T.J. Hockenson received the highest amount of guaranteed money ($40.2M), according to Spotrac. 

It's unclear, as of now, what Rapoport means by "highest-paid," but it will be interesting to see if Kelce becomes the first tight end to receive a deal that pays an AAV of $20 million per season. 

Quarterback Patrick Mahomes reacted on X (formerly Twitter). 

Looks like the All-Pro duo have at least two more seasons together to chase Super Bowl trophies. The pair won their third Super Bowl title together in February, the second of back-to-back championships. 

Now, the big question is which lasts longer: Travis Kelce's NFL career or his relationship with pop sensation Taylor Swift? 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.