Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Getty
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are together again for the 2026-27 season, and now, details of Kelce's contract has leaked.
Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs are together again for the 2026-27 season, and up until now, it’s been reported that Kelce’s contract is a one-year deal. But, a report surfaced on Monday, March 23, that shows the tight end’s deal is for much longer than original thought.
On Wednesday, March 11, the Kansas City Chiefs officially announced that Kelce was back with the franchise for the upcoming season, celebrating with a post on socials with a clip of No. 87 returning. “Like he never left,” the post stated.
Kelce has stated that he wants to go out on a positive note, so it makes sense that he would want to stay for at least one more season, since the Chiefs’ 2025-26 run with a 6-11 record and no trip to the Super Bowl. So, hopefully 2026-27 is a much better season for Kansas City, but if not, Kelce has the opportunity to stick around even longer.
Kansas City Chiefs Tight End Travis Kelce Contract Leak Shows His Full Contract Span
On Monday, March 23, NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared specific details about Kelce’s contract with the Kansas City Chiefs, and it’s actually a three-year deal. Now, this doesn’t mean that he’ll for sure be with the team for three years, but his official deal, according to the report, is for three years.
“Chiefs Pro Bowl TE Travis Kelce has signed his contract, officially locking him in for 2026. It’s a 3-year, $54.735M deal that can be worth up to $57.735M ($18.245M average) done by agent Mike Simon (@mikevmgsports) of @milkhoneysport,” Rapoport stated on X. He added that year one is a $12 million dollar deal with $3 million in incentives.
So, this lends to the idea that Kelce, if he does play for more than one more year in the NFL, will stay with the Kansas City Chiefs. Prior to Kelce and the Chiefs coming to their agreement, NFL insider Dianna Russini of The Athletic released a report stating that Kelce was looking outside the Chiefs for a 2026-27 run, but that didn’t turn out to be the case.
“Based on conversations with several teams, TE Travis Kelce appears motivated to return to play a 14th season,” she said in a post on X. “The Chiefs remain very much in the mix to re-sign the three-time Super Bowl champion and four-time All-Pro.”
Travis Kelce is a Kansas City Chief for Life
That same day, in a feature for The Athletic, Russini and her colleague Jesse Newell aid that while Kelce is expected to play his 14th season in the NFL, there’s “no guarantee it’s with Chiefs.” The story added that “it isn’t a sure thing that the team he plays for would be the Kansas City Chiefs. Kelce’s representatives are expected to talk to multiple teams.”
Whenever Kelce does retire, he stated on the Wednesday, March 4 episode of his “New Heights” podcast with his brother Jason, that the thing he’ll miss most about the NFL is “just those moments in the big games. That’s a feeling I know I’ll never get again. Those are the things you cherish the most.”