The Kansas City Chiefs are looking to bounce back in a major way after a disastrous 2025 season where they missed the playoffs for the first time since superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes took over the starting job.
However, a major question mark hanging over next season is whether Mahomes, who will be working his way back from a brutal ACL injury, will have one of his most trusted and dependable weapons at his disposal.
Star tight end Travis Kelce, who is not currently under contract and whose production has waned some in recent seasons, is contemplating retirement after what is already a surefire Hall of Fame career.
Complicating things is that Kelce will definitely have multiple lucrative doors open should he opt to retire. In fact, Awful announcing is reporting that he could even command $15,000,000 a year from a studio.
Travis Kelce could reportedly command $15 million per year as ‘studio presence’ https://t.co/pAy3oZEG3F pic.twitter.com/HmVbjsPdOH
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 27, 2026
Fans reacted to the news on social media.
“Who the hell actually watches pre game shows in 2026?? These morons at the TV networks never spend wisely,” one fan wrote on Twitter.
“Yet another reason to NEVER watch pre-game shows,” someone else added.
“Sports media companies have layoffs because guys like this get paid absurdly more than they should because some executives don’t realize that the name brand doesn’t actually carry that much weight if you make your product worse to afford them,” one fan added.
It’ll be interesting to see what Kelce chooses.