While Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce is well underpaid, considering his elite talent level, it’s surprisingly still not a problem for him because simply loves winning.
Sure, Patrick Mahomes is the undisputed face of the Kansas City Chiefs but his tight end Travis Kelce is also a massive part of the team’s uncanny success over the last five years. Not only is he arguably the best player at his position in the league, but he is also a locker-room leader and the clown that makes the grind of an NFL season bearable.
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However, Kelce is shockingly underpaid in an era where many of his contemporaries are landing record-breaking deals with regularity. Not only is he not the highest compensated tight end in the sport, but he is not even second. Travis Kelce’s annual salary of just under $15 million places him third in the NFL, and four million behind San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle.
That unique fact was asked during the Kansas City Chiefs star’s recent interview with Vanity Fair. The 33-year-old admitted that his representation often reminds him about the discount he is giving the organization, however, he thoroughly enjoys winning and being a part of his team.
Kansas City Chiefs superstar weighs in on huge contracts
“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 that building every single day.”
– Travis Kelce
The man that has been a Pro Bowler for the last eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs added to the thought process behind his bargain contract and used Miami Dolphins receiver and former teammate Tyreek Hill as an example. Explaining that while the money is wonderful, his desire and enjoyment of winning trumps having even more cash in his bank account.
“When I saw Tyreek go and get 30 [million] a year, in the back of my head, I was like, man, that’s two to three times what I’m making right now. I’m like, the free market looks like fun until you go somewhere, and you don’t win. I love winning. I love the situation I’m in.”
– Travis Kelce
Hill landed a massive four-year, $120 million contract after being traded from the Kansas City Chiefs last year. It also should be noted that Kelce is an anomaly on his own team with Mahomes currently the richest player in the league and expected to get another historic contract when he gets closer to NFL free agency at the end of this decade.