Getty
Tight end Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Kansas City Chiefs have superstar tight end Travis Kelce back in the fold for at least one more year, and they were able to accomplish that on a fairly team-friendly contract.
Adam Schefter of ESPN was first to report the news via social media.
“The Chiefs are giving free-agent TE Travis Kelce a one-year, $12 million deal that has a max value of $15 million, per source,” Schefter posted to X.
Kelce just came off a two-year contract that paid him $34.25 million in total. He has earned more than $111 million across his first 13 seasons in the NFL, which include 11 Pro Bowl appearances, seven All-Pro selections and three Super Bowl rings.
Travis Kelce Brings Sure-Handed Pass-Catcher to Lacking Chiefs’ Roster, Eases Way Back for Patrick Mahomes
GettyKansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (left) and tight end Travis Kelce (right).
Kelce’s return can serve as a collective sigh of relief for a Chiefs offense that is potentially going to be short on pass-catchers next season, particularly in the wide receiver room.
The tight end has been with Patrick Mahomes for every one of the quarterback’s nine professional campaigns to this point and has been a favorite target of Mahomes’ for that entire span of nearly unprecedented success.
Mahomes and Kelce teamed up for seven consecutive runs to AFC title game and five Super Bowl appearances (along with three rings) between 2018-24. Last season was the first losing season of Kelce’s career in Kansas City and only the second time the Chiefs failed to make the playoffs during his tenure.
Meanwhile, Mahomes suffered an ACL/LCL tear against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 15 and though he will definitely return next season, it is unclear if he will be able to go starting Week 1 in early September. Some projections have the Chiefs playing it safe and holding Mahomes out for up to a month or so.
The author will update this post.
Max Dible covers the NFL, NBA and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears and Cleveland Browns. He covered local and statewide news as a reporter for West Hawaii Today and served as news director for BigIslandNow.com and Pacific Media Group’s family of Big Island radio stations before joining Heavy. More about Max Dible
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