Kelce not concerned with new deal: 'I'm here for the legacy'
Heading into the final stretch of his NFL career, Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce says he's focused more on winning than maximizing his earnings.
"Money, in my mind, is almost secondary at this point in my career," Kelce said Thursday, according to The Kansas City Star's Blair Kerkhoff. "I'm here for the legacy, and I'm here to try and make the Kansas City Chiefs the best team possible. That's my main focus. That's why I'm here."
The comments come after San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle told Mike Florio of the "Pro Football Talk" podcast May 20 that the pay disparity between tight ends and wide receivers "boggles (his) mind."
But Kelce made it clear that he isn't looking to renegotiate his contract.
"I appreciate Kittle saying that. That's my guy, and he always wants to see every tight end get paid as much as their production is," Kelce said. "At the same time, I signed my contract understanding what I had. I put a lot into this."
Kittle tops the tight end market with a $15-million annual salary, while Kelce sits in second at $14.31 million, according to Spotrac. Kelce's annual salary is topped by 22 wide receivers.
The receiver market exploded this offseason. Davante Adams signed a five-year, $141.25-million extension following his trade to the Las Vegas Raiders to briefly top the position at over $28 million per season.
Kelce's former teammate, Tyreek Hill, then exceeded that mark by nearly $2 million per year, inking a four-year, $120-million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
But it's Kelce who's been the most productive receiver over the past six seasons, racking up an NFL-high 7,267 receiving yards. Meanwhile, his 565 catches are second to only Adams, and his 47 touchdown catches rank sixth.
The 32-year-old is also riding a streak of six straight 1,000-yard seasons, a feat no other tight end in NFL history has achieved.
Kelce - whose contract runs through the 2025 season - could have an even bigger workload in 2022 following Hill's departure.
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