Kansas City Chiefs assistant GM Chris Shea discussed TE Travis Kelce’s $12 million contract to return to the franchise for his 14th NFL season.
The Chiefs are usually seen handing out straightforward contracts to their players, rarely taking on additional years of dead money without good reason.
However, with the team entering the 2026 offseason with cap space and plans to sign players like reigning Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III, Kelce’s new contract made the Chiefs break their rules.
Chiefs explain how they made sure Travis Kelce was paid what he’s worth to returnKansas City Chiefs assistant GM Chris Shea discussed Kelce’s contract after practice on Wednesday, August 19.
“Different teams have different philosophies. Generally, we have pretty simple, straightforward deals. We used some tools in the toolbox that we don’t dust off very often to spread his cap hit over future years… With Travis, we used some things we wouldn’t normally otherwise think about.”
Kelce had 76 receptions for 851 receiving yards and five touchdowns last season, still playing at an elite level despite the Chiefs’ 6-11 season and his age.
Handing Kelce a conventional $12 million contract would have severely impacted the Chiefs’ salary cap, and consequently, would have affected their other summer signings.
Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty ImagesKelce is getting paid a $3 million base salary and $3 million as a training camp bonus, with these figures being fully guaranteed.
About $10.7 million of what the Chiefs will pay Kelce is treated as a pro-rated signing bonus of $3.55 million from 2026 to 2028. If Kelce retires, he’ll still receive the money, and it’ll become dead cap for the Chiefs.
The Chiefs also used effective void years to ensure that Kelce’s dead money could be spread out over years instead of being counted at once, provided he retires at the end of this season.
The Chiefs are showing their respect to a franchise legend in what appears to be a contract that protects his future interests if he does step away from the sport at the end of the 2026 season at 37 years old.
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