When the Kansas City Chiefs and their superstar tight end Travis Kelce agreed to a revision of the final two years of his contract on Monday, we only knew the broad strokes of the deal. The contract was reported to be worth $34.25 million over the two years, making Kelce the league’s most highly-paid tight end.
On Thursday, the salary-cap site OverTheCap published contract details it obtained from its own sources. The reported information correct — but as always, the contract’s details have a story to tell.
In 2024, Kelce had been due to earn a $12 million salary and a $250,000 workout bonus, along with a per-game roster bonus totaling $662,000. His cap hit also carried a $2.6 million proration from contract restructures that created cap space in previous seasons. This added up to $12.9 million in salary and bonuses — and a 2024 cap hit of $15.5 million.
The new deal reduces his 2024 base salary to $5.75 million. The per-game roster bonus is replaced with a single $11 million roster bonus. This bonus — along with his salary and workout bonus for the coming season — bring his 2024 compensation up to $17 million. The whole amount was guaranteed at signing. So Kelce was given a $4.1 million raise for the coming season, which pushes his 2024 cap hit to $19.6 million.
So far, so good. But what makes this deal interesting is that in 2025, Kelce’s deal now includes a single $12.5 million roster bonus to go along with a base salary that was reduced from $16.25 million to $4.5 million. A 2025 per-game roster bonus totaling $750,000 was also eliminated from 2025, but his $250,000 workout bonus remains. This adds up to exactly the same money Kelce was already set to earn in 2025: $17.25 million.
None of Kelce’s 2025 compensation is presently guaranteed — but as Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported on Monday, under the new deal, “most” of the $17.25 million he will earn next season will become guaranteed this coming March.
Presuming that Breer’s “most” refers to 2025’s $12.5 million roster bonus (OverTheCap does not reference this detail of the deal), this means that if Kelce chooses to retire (or the Chiefs decide to move on from him) before 2025’s league year begins, Kansas City would be left with only the final $2.6 million proration from previous signing bonuses as dead money.
But if Kelce and the Chiefs agree that he should return in 2025, he’ll be guaranteed to earn at least $12.5 million — and whatever happens after that, both sides will be free of any obligation (and the team will have no dead money from Kelce’s deal) in 2026.
Including all known transactions — and with 81 players under contract — we now estimate that Kansas City has $15.2 million in cap space.
FAQs
The new deal reduces his 2024 base salary to $5.75 million. The per-game roster bonus is replaced with a single $11 million roster bonus. This bonus — along with his salary and workout bonus for the coming season — bring his 2024 compensation up to $17 million. The whole amount was guaranteed at signing.
How many years are left on Travis Kelce's contract? ›
This new deal pushes his pre-existing contract with the Chiefs into 2026 and 2027 and dishes out the bulk of the contract's new money in 2024 and 2025. The two years at the end of the contract are not guaranteed, meaning Kansas City and Kelce can separate much sooner than his age-38 season.
How much has Travis Kelce made in his career? ›
According to Over The Cap, his $13 million salary for the 2024 campaign and his $17.3 million salary in 2025 were set to bring his career earnings to $108.5 million, so Monday's extension will bump that figure to over $142.8 million by the time he hangs up his cleats.
What has Travis Kelce done? ›
Considered one of the greatest tight ends of all time, Kelce is a nine-time Pro Bowler and a seven-time All-Pro, with 4 first-team and 3 second-team selections. He holds the NFL records for most consecutive and most overall seasons with 1,000 receiving yards by a tight end: seven.
What did Travis Kelce get drafted? ›
Biography. Kelce enters his 12th season with the Chiefs in 2024. Spent the majority of the 2013 season on the club's injured reserve list. Originally entered the NFL as the first of two third-round picks (63rd overall) by the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2013 NFL Draft.
What did Jason Kelce's wife have? ›
Who is the highest paid tight end in the NFL? ›
The Kansas City Chiefs' Travis Kelce is currently the highest-paid tight end in the NFL, with an average annual salary of $17.1 million.
What is Jason Kelce's salary? ›
Jason Kelce will have a base salary of 1,165,000 dollars in 2023, with a signing bonus of 10,130,000. His deal for 2023 to 2024 guaranteed him an average annual salary of nine million dollars. Jason Kelce has career NFL salary earnings of over 80 million dollars in his 11 years with the Eagles.
How much is Travis Kelce worth in 2024? ›
What is Travis Kelce's net worth? Travis Kelce has an estimated 2024 net worth of $50 million. In April 2024, he signed a new two-year contract with the Kansas City Chiefs that's likely to make that number go up even more.
What is Jason Kelce's net worth? ›
Q: What is Jason Kelce's net worth? A: As of 2024, Jason Kelce's net worth is estimated to be around $30 million.
Ed Kelce then went to work in the steel industry, eventually becoming a sales rep who sold products to manufacturers, he explained in a February interview with The Los Angeles Times. “I'd take them there — hard hat, safety glasses, boots, the whole nine yards,” he told the publication of bringing his sons to work.
What did Travis Kelce get kicked out of school for? ›
During an appearance on the "Bussin' With The Boys" podcast with Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, Kelce said he partied a bit too much ahead of the 2010 Allstate Sugar Bowl in New Orleans, leading to the failed drug test. "I got kicked out of college because of it," Kelce said.
Was Jason Kelce's wife an athlete? ›
Kylie McDevitt Kelce
She played field hockey for Cabrini University, and continues to support young athletes playing the sport. Jason and Kylie Kelce married in 2018 after meeting through Tinder, according to an episode of Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce's "New Heights" podcast.
Who is number 69 on The Chiefs? ›
Mike Pennel Jr. - Kansas City Chiefs Defensive Tackle - ESPN.
How high was Patrick Mahomes drafted? ›
2017 season. The Kansas City Chiefs selected Mahomes in the first round (10th overall) of the 2017 NFL draft. The Chiefs, originally slated to have the 27th overall selection, traded up in the draft with the Buffalo Bills for the 10th overall selection.
Where is Travis Kelce's father? ›
As of 2020, Ed Kelce lives a mile away from his firstborn son's family, moving from Cleveland to Philadelphia on a nine-acre farm, according to the LA Times.
How much is Travis Kelce's net worth? ›
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Travis Kelce's net worth is around $30 million. In a January 2023 interview with Vanity Fair, Kelce joked about how he isn't paid enough. “My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am,” he said.
