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Hours after the San Francisco 49ers came to terms on a record-setting extension with George Kittle, another big-name tight end has landed his own lucrative deal. The Kansas City Chiefs have finalized a four-year extension for Travis Kelce that will tie the five-time Pro Bowler to the team through 2025, CBS Sports NFL Jason La Canfora confirms.
Previously under contract with the Chiefs through 2021, Kelce “agreed to the parameters” of the four-year extension in the wake of Kittle’s five-year deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. His new contract will pay him $57.25 million, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, for an annual average of $14.3 million — just under the $15 million per-year total that Kittle got from San Francisco. It includes a reported $28 million in guarantees.
A four-time All-Pro who played a pivotal role in the Chiefs’ 2019 championship run, the 30-year-old Kelce has spent his entire seven-year NFL career with the franchise, originally entering the league as a third-round draft pick out of Cincinnati. In recent seasons, he’s been reigning Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes’ top pass target.
Named to the NFL’s 2010s All-Decade Team, Kelce has arguably also been the league’s top player at his position since becoming a regular starter in 2014. After back-to-back 800-yard campaigns to open his career, he’s now had four straight 1,000-yard seasons, racking up 37 career touchdown catches — not including four in last year’s postseason alone — to establish himself as one of the most productive tight ends in NFL history.
Kelce’s new deal marks his third contract with the Chiefs. He previously signed a six-year, $46 million extension entering 2016. Including his extension and the remaining two years on his previous deal, Kelce’s total annual average clocks in at roughly $12.8 million, which ranks second among all TEs, behind only Kittle.
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