TE Travis Kelce says he was never going to hold out for new contract

Good thing the Chiefs gave Travis Kelce a record-setting contract because the superstar tight end gave away some bargaining power with a recent confession.

Kelce says he isn’t the holdout type. He revealed that detail this week in the New Heights podcast he hosts with his brother, Jason Kelce.

“I can’t thank Kansas City enough, my agents for knocking on the door to see if anything’s available, knowing that 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.”

He added: “For them to want to be able to get this done for me, knowing how much blood, sweat and tears I put into this thing for them, I’m extremely grateful and extremely thankful for everybody involved. I love Kansas City for it.”

And it’s safe to say, KC still is in love with Kelce, who is starting his 12th season with the Chiefs. And now he’s the all-time highest-paid tight end in the NFL.

Here are the details of his new contract. It’s a two-year deal worth $34.25 million. He’ll receive a guaranteed $17 million this season. Most of his pay will be guaranteed in 2025, as well, so long as he is on the roster next March.

Kelce also said on the New Heights podcast that he was glad to be able to elevate the average salary of league tight ends. Giants tight Darren Waller also is in the $17 million per year range. George Kittle of the 49ers earns $15 million a year.

By his own standards, Kelce’s 2023 performance was one of his worst. That’s based solely on statistics. He caught 93 passes for 984 yards. True, that’s a great season for most tight ends. But Kelce failed to reach 1,000 yards receiving for the first time in eight years. However, Kelce also missed two games because of injury. A healthy Kelce likely would’ve easily surpassed 1,000.

But here’s why he was so important to the Chiefs last season. Although KC won the Super Bowl, the Chiefs were only the third seed in the AFC playoff bracket. Kelce represented a chunk of the post-season offense with 32 catches for 355 yards and three touchdowns in four games.

Here’s another slice of context for Chiefs fans. Kelce and his girlfriend, Taylor Swift, are only growing closer. But the international pop superstar is worth more than $1.1 billion. Kelce’s annual salary is a but a rounding error in Swift’s world.