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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce said the team quickly obliged to his request for a pay raise before agreeing to an extension to make him the highest-paid player at his position on Monday (April 29).
"I'm not a guy that sits out,'' Kelce said on the latest episode of his New Heights podcast with his brother and co-host, recently retired former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, released on Wednesday (May 1). "I'm not a guy that holds out. I'm a guy that loves coming into the building, and the Chiefs know that. So, for them to want to get this done for me knowing how much blood, sweat and tears that I put into this thing, I'm extremely grateful.''
Kelce, 34, and the Chiefs reached a deal on an extension that will pay him an average annual salary of $17.125 million during the next two seasons, having previously been set to make $12 million in 2024 and $16.25 during the 2025 season.
"I'm so excited and so thankful to this organization for getting it done, making me feel appreciated and compensated the right way, and on top of that I got to move the needle for the tight end room,'' Kelce said. "It's everyone else's job to keep making that tight end AAV [average annual value] go up and up with every single contract that's better than mine in the future.
"I'm so fricking thankful to [general manager] Brett Veach, [president] Mark Donovan, Coach [Andy] Reid -- Big Red, I love you, big guy -- and obviously [team owner] Clark Hunt. The Hunt family has been unbelievable to not only myself and this Kansas City community, but they've just been so generous since I've been here in making it feel like home. For the past [11] years I've been able to make this place exactly that and I've loved every single second of it and I'm going to love the next two years playing here in Kansas City and we'll see what happens after that.''
Kelce and the Chiefs are just two months removed from winning their third Super Bowl in four seasons. The former University of Cincinnati standout recorded 93 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns during the 2023 regular season and 32 receptions for 355 yards and three touchdowns during the postseason, which included a game-high nine catches for 93 yards during Kansas City's 25-22 Super Bowl LVIII win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Kelce, already widely regarded as one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history, emerged as a transcendent star beyond football this past year, having hosted Saturday Night Live in March 2023 and starred in several commercials during the NFL season even prior to his highly publicized relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift. The 34-year-old currently ranks fourth among NFL tight ends in both career receptions (907) and receiving yards (11,328), as well as sixth in receiving touchdowns (74) entering his 12th NFL season.