Travis Kelce is reportedly set to return to the Kansas City Chiefs for another season, extending his already legendary NFL career. However, there is bad news that he will have to face as part of his decision to return.
Back in 2024, Kelce agreed to a two-year contract with the team worth $17.125 million annually, a deal that made him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL at the time. However, that contract expired, and the bad news is that his new contract is significantly smaller.
According to a report from [Adam Schefter](https://x.com/AdamSchefter/status/2031117501786947942?s=20), the Chiefs are giving Kelce a one-year contract worth $12 million with a max value of $15 million after incentives. No matter what, that’s a significant pay cut from previous years.
Although Kelce remains among the more productive tight ends in the league, finishing the 2025 campaign with 76 receptions for 851 yards and five touchdowns, totals that ranked sixth in catches and fourth in receiving yards among tight ends, it’s also evident that he is no longer quite the same player he was earlier in his career.
He can still contribute at a high level, but he is clearly less explosive than he once was, and that decline is reflected in the numbers as the legendary tight end is coming off the two least productive seasons of his career. Kelce will also be another season older and further along in the natural physical decline that comes with age.
For this reason, Kelce was forced to take a pay cut, and there’s a chance he’s not exactly happy about it. In fact, NFL insider Mike Florio suggested that this could be a reason why Kelce was reportedly looking into playing elsewhere before agreeing to return to Kansas City.
The truth could be as simple as this — the Chiefs’ current offer falls below Kelce’s expectations. If it doesn’t improve, Kelce could (in theory) see what else is out there. For now, the notion that his agents will listen to other teams could be nothing more than an effort to shake more cash from the Kansas City tree,” Florio [wrote on Sunday](https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/conflicting-reports-emerge-as-to-whether-travis-kelce-will-test-the-market#).
While this is obviously bad news for the legendary tight end, he’ll still make plenty of money and has a lot of opportunities waiting for him in the entertainment industry when he eventually chooses to retire.