Chiefs’ Travis Kelce explains why he’s OK being ‘underpaid,’ teases plans for after retirement

Much like his quarterback in Kansas City, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is well on his way to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, even if his contract doesn’t necessarily compensate him as such. That doesn’t mean Kelce ever intends to seek a raise elsewhere, however, telling Vanity Fair this week he’s content being “underpaid” as long as he’s suiting up for the Chiefs.

“My managers and agents love to tell me how underpaid I am,” Kelce said. “Any time I talk about wanting more money, they’re just like, ‘Why don’t you go to the Chiefs and ask them?’ … When I saw (former Chiefs wide receiver) Tyreek (Hill) go and get $30 (million) a year, in the back of my head, I was like, ‘Man, that’s two or three times what I’m making right now.’

“(But) the free market looks like fun until you go somewhere and don’t win,” Kelce continued. “I love winning. I love the situation I’m in. … You see how much more money you could be making and, yeah, it hits you in the gut a little bit. It makes you think you’re being taken advantage of. I don’t know if I really pressed the gas if I would get what I’m quote-unquote worth. But I know I enjoy coming to (the Chiefs’) building every single day.”

Kelce intends to play out his current contract with the Chiefs, he told Vanity Fair, which pays him an average of $14.3 million per year — third-most among all tight ends, behind Darren Waller (Giants) and George Kittle (49ers) — and runs through 2025. He originally signed the deal in 2020, when he slotted in as the second-highest-paid at his position behind Kittle.

As for afterward? It’s unclear when Kelce plans to retire, but he’s already lining up off-field opportunities for when the time comes, hinting to Vanity Fair that he’s interested in everything from broadcasting to acting to game-show hosting — anything to get his “face out from under the helmet.” He believes his current gig as a host of his own podcast, “New Heights,” is setting the on-screen stage.

“I could sit there, talk football, and make it relatable (in a future job),” he said. “I could get into the scheme of things. I could make it make sense to the people who are just now getting into it. And I could bring the juice.”