Patrick Mahomes reacts to Travis Kelce signing a record-breaking deal with Chiefs

It’s no secret that both Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce over the years took pay cuts so that the Kansas City Chiefs could add valuable pieces to the team. In 2020, the Chiefs quarterback penned a 10 year, $450 million contract, which guaranteed him $208.1 million from 2023–26.

However, only a year later, Patrick Mahomes agreed to restructure his contract to help lessen the financial burden on the Chiefs. With the extra money, Brett Veach agreed to extensions with defensive tackle Chris Jones to a five-year, $158.75 million contract, including $95 million guaranteed over the first three years.

Travis Kelce was in the same boat as Mahomes. Despite winning three Super Bowl titles and being arguably the best tight end to play in the NFL, he was nowhere near the top earner in his position. 

Kelce signed a four-year, $57.25 million extension in 2020. It paid him an annual salary of $14.3 million. In 2023, that decreased to $11.25 million, ranking him the 30th highest-earning tight end in the league.

He only had one year left on his current contract, which would have run until the end of the 2024 season. There were speculations that the 34-year-old may opt to hang up his boots like his brother Jason Kelce. However, that can wait as he has signed a contract extension with the Chiefs.

On April 29, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Chiefs had agreed to a two-year deal with Travis Kelce.