Travis Kelce contemplated whether the grass is really greener on the other side after he saw how many zeros were in Tyreek Hill’s contract with the Dolphins.
In a new interview with Vanity Fair, the star Chiefs tight end said he thought about what the free market would be like when his former teammate landed a four-year contract extension worth $120 million after forcing a trade to Miami.
“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,” Kelce, who has a base salary of $11.25 million this year, said.
“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.
“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.”
After six seasons together, the Chiefs traded Hill to the Dolphins in March 2022 — and Miami gave the Pro Bowl receiver an extension, including $72.2 million guaranteed and $52.535 million at signing, his agent, Drew Rosenhaus told ESPN.
Kelce and Hill won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 2020.
Kelce’s base salary ranks 54th among all players in the NFL, which, on paper, doesn’t add up to a player of his caliber.
The tight end position is one of the lowest-paid in the NFL, as a player’s position heavily influences the market.
“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?’”
Kelce, who turns 34 in October, has earned nearly $65 million in his playing career.
That doesn’t include his endorsement deals and other agreements, including appearances.
This isn’t the first time Kelce discussed how he and his fellow NFL tight ends are vastly underpaid.
In a recent episode of his “New Heights” podcast with brother and Eagles center Jason,Kelce discussed why he became a founder of Tight End University.
“We started doing this (Tight End University) because, you know, we saw the guys doing it across the league, and I think it’s huge for everybody to kind of bounce ideas off of each other,” he said.
“Especially when we all kind of feel like we’re the most underpaid position in the league.”
TEU is a three-day summit founded in 2021 by Kelce, San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle and former NFL tight end and current sports broadcaster Greg Olsen, which unites tight ends across the league to sharpen their skills at the position.
