The Kansas City Chiefs were not done when they signed star quarterback Patrick Mahomes for an extension for record settings, as when they put together an expensive package to keep Pro Bowl defensive tackle Chris Jones on the line.
Now, they spend more big money to keep tight end Travis Kelce in the fold.
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The Chiefs and the two-time All-Pro voted in favor of a four-year, $ 57.25 million expansion Thursday that will keep him with the Super Bowl champions by 2025, a person familiar with the contract told The Associated Press . The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal was not announced.
The deal came the same day that the San Francisco 49ers and their All-Pro tight end, George Kittle, agreed to a five-year extension, $ 75 million, a person familiar with that contract told AP. Kittle and Kelce, who sat on counterattacks during the Super Bowl in February, established themselves long ago as the clear top two tight ends in the game.
The Chiefs rode into the second half to win their first championship in 50 years. And when the Chiefs spent the offseason securing their core players by giving Mahomes a 10-year extension worth half a billion dollars, and Jones a four-year deal, $ 85 million, Kelce made sure be that it was only the first of what many Super Bowls could be.
“The guys who come into this office, they know what this team is capable of,” he said, when the Chiefs reported to training camp, which is being held at their training facility due to the coronavirus pandemic. “It shows what we did last year and who we all came back to, which means we have almost every leader we had in this locker room.”
Kelce soon grew into a leader after a standout college career marked by some off-the-field problems that caused his concept share. The Chiefs selected him in the third round in 2013 and, after missing most of his rookie season due to a knee injury, he immediately stepped into the lineup and became a match-up nightmare for opposing defensive works.
The affable and outspoken Kelce has been voted on five consecutive Pro Bowls, and he has put together four straight 1000-yard receiving seasons. He also excelled under the brightest of lights, catching 10 passes for 134 yards and three TDs in a playoff victory over Houston, three more passes in an AFC championship victory over Tennessee, and then grabbing six passes for 43 yards and a touchdown to help the Chiefs to a 31-20 victory over the 49ers.
“He’s athletic. I think he’s instinctive. His routes do not look like anyone else’s routes, ‘said Titans coach Mike Vrabel. ‘I mean, the route is to get open at whatever depth the quarterback wants. He can freeze boys, and then burst across the field. He has a great catch radius. I mean, he’s tall, he’s tall, he’s athletic, he’s tough, and it’s a tough challenge. ”
