The Kansas City Chiefs tight end signed a one-year, $12M deal as he returns for a 14th season with the team
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NEED TO KNOW
- Travis Kelce shared a message with fans after officially signing his new deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to return for a 14th season
- Kelce signed a one-year, $12M with the team he’s played with since the 2013 NFL Draft
- The tight end reportedly turned down bigger offers from other teams to stay with the Chiefs.
It's official!
Travis Kelce signed his new, one-year, $12M deal with the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday, March 23, and celebrated with a video message to fans on social media after finalizing his decision to return to the NFL for a 14th season.
"Chiefs Kingdom, let's go baby, it's official! Excited for 2026 and just excited to put on a Chiefs uniform in front of you guys again," he said in the clip posted to the team's Instagram account, before sharing a request for the fans: "Let's get Arrowhead rocking baby."
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He concluded, "We'll see you guys in a few months."
Kelce, 36, was amped up for the video and all smiles as he shared the news with Chiefs Kingdom on Instagram. He was also dressed the part, decked out in a red jersey top and a black hat with his team's name printed on the front.
The video was posted shortly after the Chiefs shared a slideshow of images of Kelce inking the deal on Instagram, along with a caption that confirmed the news of Kelce's signing.
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"Officially official ✍️ @killatrav is back for his 14th year!" read the caption, alongside photos of the star tight end in front of the documents with a pen in hand. He also posed with Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach, along with other team staff.
The Athletic was first to report that Kelce would return to the Chiefs on March 9.
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Kelce made his decision before the beginning of the free agency period and informed the Chiefs of his intention to return in early March, ESPN reported at the time.
Sources also told NFL Network's Ian Rapoport that Kelce turned down more financially lucrative offers from other teams during the free agency period to stay with the Chiefs.
On March 16, details on Kelce's new contract leaked, revealing that it was structured so the Chiefs could keep the New Heights podcaster at a price that works for their salary cap, and he will get the $12 million salary over three years, according to SI.
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As Kelce gears up for a wedding to fiancée Taylor Swift, he’s also made clear that he aspires to compete in new endeavors, whether they are in the entertainment industry or broadcasting, like older brother Jason Kelce does for ESPN on Monday Night Countdown.
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Kelce has also credited Swift as an inspiration for his decision to return.
The tight end told Pat McAfee on March 10 that it's "amazing to see" his fiancée "keep going to the table, keep finding new things to write about, keep finding new melodies…and on top of that, still seeing her have that love and joy in what she does."
"Yeah, of course that's motivating," he added of Swift. "That's motivating for anyone to see, let alone my fiancée, and knowing that I'm going through something where I'm trying to figure out what exactly the future holds for me, something like that definitely motivates me to say, 'You know what, I'm not done either.'"
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