Tag: tight end

How much money did Chiefs TE Travis Kelce make this season?

Here is how much money Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce earned during the 2024 season.

Travis Kelce, the legendary Kansas City Chiefs tight end known for his chemistry with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, is gearing up for his next Super Bowl appearance.

Super Bowl LIX will be his fifth opportunity to compete for the vaunted Lombardi Trophy, and he will make history alongside the Chiefs if they succeed in completing the NFL’s first-ever championship three-peat.

How much did Kelce earn this season?

Kelce is one of the highest-paid tight ends in the NFL after his years of success in Kansas City. In 2024, he renegotiated his contract with the Chiefs. Both parties agreed to a two-year deal for $34,250,000.

His base salary for the season was $5,750,000. Kelce also earned an $11,000,000 roster bonus and a $250,000 workout bonus, bringing his total pay in 2024 to $17,000,000 per Spotrac.

Based on yearly average pay, this made him the highest-paid tight end in 2024. According to OverTheCap, the Minnesota Vikings T.J. Hockenson is very close behind him in second place earning $16,500,000 for the season.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce reveals motivation to keep playing in the league: ‘Love going to work’

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reveals motivation to keep playing in the league: ‘Love going to work’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce shot down rumors of a possible retirement earlier in the week. During Thursday’s press conference, he revealed his motivation to keep playing next year and potentially beyond.

“Early on in my career, I think a lot of my motivation was driven off of individual success,” said Kelce. “wanting to get that acknowledgment of my peers, of the people watching the game that I was somebody fun to watch or I was worth watching, or I was worth having on your team, nowadays I just love going to work with the guys that I’m in the building with.”

Kelce has the most postseason receptions, with 174 in NFL history, and ranks second all-time in postseason receiving yards with 2,039. Postseason touchdown receptions with 20, trailing only Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

“I love sharing these memories. I love figuring out these game plans, figuring out how we’re going to attack a defense,” said Kelce. “There’s just a certain love that I’ve found in it, and I think it’s because of the people that I go to work with.”

On Sunday, Kelce will become the third tight end to appear in five Super Bowls, joining Marv Fleming and Rob Gronkowski.

What condition the position is in: Assessing Raiders level of need at tight end

Taking a look at where the Raiders stand at tight end heading into the offseason.

With free agency a month away, it’s time to check in on the Raiders’ tight end position to give it a condition of either Strong, Stable, Unstable, Serious, or Critical.

Starter: Brock Bowers

Backups: Michael Mayer, Justin Shorter

Free agents: Harrison Bryant

Bowers broke all kinds of records as a rookie while leading all tight ends in receiving. This offense went through him. Mayer was away from the team a good portion of the season dealing with personal issues. He returned eventually and was a nice complementary piece, both as a blocker and a receiver.

Condition: Strong

Bowers is the best tight end in football. Mayer can be a decent number two, but that appears to be the best we can expect from him. Which may be enough. Though with Harrison Bryant headed for free agency, they will likely bring in someone to compete to replace him at the third tight end spot.

Chiefs TE Travis Kelce reveals plans for the next three years: ‘I’m still playing football’

Kansas City #Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce reveals plans for the next three years: ‘I’m still playing football’ | @EdEastonJr

Super Bowl Opening Night is filled with some of the wildest questions each player will ever hear. The Kansas City Chiefs have experienced it more than most, and Pro Bowl tight end Travis Kelce was asked by reporters about potentially still playing in the next three years.

“Where will I be in three years? I don’t know. Hopefully, I’m still playing football; I love doing this. I love coming to work every day. I feel like I’ve still got a lot of good football left in me. We’ll see what happens.” said Kelce. “I know I’ve been setting myself up for other opportunities in my life. That’s always been the goal, knowing that football only lasts so long. You’ve got to find a way to get into another career and another profession. I’ve been doing that in my offseasons. But for the most part, I plan on being a Kansas City Chief and playing football.”

Kelce finished the season under 1,000 yards again for the second consecutive season, and his focus was less on his stats and more on the team’s game plan. He has quickly carved out a career in entertainment as a host and actor outside of football, which could become even more fruitful in retirement. The 35-year-old holds multiple franchise and league records and three Super Bowl titles.

Sean Payton had this kind of player with Saints — will he add one with Broncos?

Sean Payton had ‘Joker-type’ players in Jeremy Shockey and Jimmy Graham earlier in his career. Will he now add one to the Broncos’ offense?

During his time with the New Orleans Saints — and during previous stops with other NFL teams — Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has had what he describes as a “Joker” in his offense.

Following the conclusion of the team’s 2024 season, Payton was asked if he has a “Joker” with the Broncos, and if not, will he add one this offseason?

“Fair question,” Payton said on Jan. 15. “I know how much it can help. It’s not until you don’t have them [that you notice]. I’ve said this before — early on as a coach, when you’re just coaching and you have your players, I remember the selection of Reggie Bush and the owner asking me, ‘Well we already have Deuce McAllister,’ who was a real good running back. I said, ‘Mr. Benson — the late Mr. Benson — this running back’s different. He can do these things.’ We talked about it. It was a good question, but that was the first exposure at this level for me as a head coach.

“We had Tiki Barber when I was at the Giants, he was a Joker-type player. Jeremy Shockey was a Joker-type player. Jason Witten was a Joker-type player early in his career. Then pretty soon, we had Shockey and then Jimmy Graham, and then Darren Sproles, then [Alvin] Kamara, then… I didn’t really appreciate it at the time, but in that stretch, we went through a stretch of 15 or 16 seasons with real, real high-end offenses that maybe didn’t have a receiver get to a Pro Bowl, but those other spots did.

“I think in our league when you look around and you reference… Just take some of the top teams… You’ll always remember [Travis] Kelce with the Chiefs. I don’t know that you’ll remember the receivers sometimes. Maybe through that Super Bowl run, maybe so. Do I think we have some candidates? Yes. That inner triangle of attacking a defense is really important.”

Jaleel McLaughlin might be the closest thing the Broncos currently have to a “Joker,” a versatile player who can line up at multiple spots and make an impact as a receiver, but he’s not at the level of the other players Payton mentioned. Denver could add one during the NFL draft this spring, perhaps with a dynamic running back or a tight end like Penn State’s Tyler Warren.

The Broncos need to add more juice to the offense in 2025, surrounding young quarterback Bo Nix with playmakers in his second season. Perhaps a “Joker” will be added to the squad this spring.

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Broncos have 3 tight ends under contract for 2025 season

The Broncos have three tight ends under contract for the 2025 season. Expect more to be added this spring.

Ahead of NFL free agency in March, the Denver Broncos currently have three tight ends under contract for the 2025 season.

The Broncos have Adam Trautman, Nate Adkins and Thomas Yassmin set to return this spring. Meanwhile, Lucas Krull is set to become an exclusive rights free agent, so it won’t be hard to re-sign him if the team wants to.

After the 2024 season ended, Denver opted to not re-sign veteran Donald Parham, so he’s headed for free agency after spending last year on the Broncos’ practice squad.

Trautman was the team’s No. 1 tight end in 2024, but he didn’t offer much as a receiver, totaling 13 receptions for 188 yards and two touchdowns. Adkins is a tight end/fullback hybrid who hauled in 14 catches for 115 yards and three scores.

Krull totaled 19 receptions for 152 yards. Yassmin, an Australian player, spent the 2024 season on the practice squad as part of the NFL’s international player pathway program.

Broncos TEs signed for 2025

  1. TE Adam Trautman (28)
  2. TE Nate Adkins (25)
  3. TE Thomas Yassmin (25)

Sean Payton’s offense could use a playmaker at the position, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Broncos make a splash at tight end in 2025. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren would be a dream pick for Denver in April’s draft. Regardless of whether or not they’re able to land Warren, the Broncos will add multiple tight ends to the roster this offseason.

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Broncos fill two big needs in 2025 NFL mock draft

The Broncos land a running back and tight end in this two-round NFL mock draft.

The Denver Broncos fill two big needs in Dane Brugler’s latest 2025 NFL mock draft for The Athletic (subscription required for link).

With their first pick at No. 20, the Broncos land Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty in Bruger’s mock.

“Should Jeanty fall this far? Of course not,” Bruger wrote. “But if Dallas decides to pass, there aren’t many obvious landing spots for him in the top 18.”

Jeanty finished second in Heisman Trophy voting last fall after rushing for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns with college football’s Broncos.

In the second round of the mock, Bruger has Denver landing LSU tight end Mason Taylor at pick No. 51. Taylor hauled in 55 receptions for 546 yards and two touchdowns with the Tigers in 2024. In three seasons at LSU, Taylor totaled 129 receptions for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns in 38 games.

Tight end and running back are among the Broncos’ key positions of need in 2025, so Jeanty and Taylor would make sense in the first two rounds.

The 2025 NFL draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin from April 24-26. Denver holds seven picks, including selections in the first four rounds.

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PFF shockingly lists Saints veteran as best TE in free agency

PFF recently listed New Orleans Saints tight end Juwan Johnson as the best player at the position in free agency. Are they correct?

The New Orleans Saints waited years for Juwan Johnson to break out to become the star tight end they needed him to be. While he never really worked out with them, could he be on his way to a big pay day simply because of a weak market in free agency?

Pro Football Focus recently released their ranking of every tight end available this offseason and Juwan Johnson took the top spot. The players listed behind him are Mike Gesicki of the Cincinnati Bengals and Tyler Conklin from the New York Jets.

Johnson would not be viewed as the best player in every free agent class, but this certainly isn’t one with a ton of competition.

The former Penn State Nittany Lions and Oregon Ducks star gets a little bit of grace for the weak start of his career, as he was a pure wide receiver in college and needed time to transition, but still wasn’t a huge receiving threat out of the tight end spot. At least not consistently.

His best season came in 2022 when he had 42 catches for 508 yards and seven touchdowns. He’s been massively inconsistent since then, though, failing to capitalize on the momentum. So far in his career, he has 146 catches for 1,622 yards and 18 scores across five seasons. That kind of production might be attractive to the right team on the open market.

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Chiefs HC Andy Reid has plenty of praise for star player: ‘He keeps himself in great shape’

Kansas City #Chiefs head coach Andy Reid has plenty of praise for Travis Kelce: ‘He keeps himself in great shape’ | @EdEastonJr

Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid is preparing his team for a three-peat opportunity against the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. On Wednesday, he appeared as a guest on the Pat McAfee Show and shared his admiration for tight end Travis Kelce.

“He’s a great player. He’s got guys around him that are a little bit healthier, so all of these defensive coordinators, their whole focus isn’t just on Trav (Travis Kelce) and stopping Trav, and so, it frees him up a little bit, he hasn’t changed anything from before,” said Reid. “He can still do all the same things. If he’s got a couple of guys on him, then you go a different direction and have to work another area.”

Kelce didn’t have a big AFC Championship game but still owns numerous postseason records.

“He’s still a really good football player,” said Reid. “He keeps himself in great shape, never wants to miss a rep in practice, hates coming out of the game, I mean, absolutely hates coming out of the game. I love that part of him.”

The ten-time Pro Bowler will be relied upon once again in the biggest game of the year as Kansas City aims to make history.

Pro Bowler Trey McBride discusses Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie year, Cardinals season

@EdEastonJr spoke to Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride the Cardinals’ 2024 season and teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie campaign.

This week, Touchdown Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. spoke to Arizona Cardinals Pro Bowl tight end Trey McBride.

In his interview with Easton Jr., McBride, on behalf of Rockin’ Protein, discussed his partnership with the high-quality fitness drink and reflected on the Cardinals’ 2024 season and teammate Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie campaign.

“You can get it (Rockin’ Protein) all over the place. It’s not just available here on the western side of the country, but the protein is the best I’ve ever tasted,” said McBride. “It tastes phenomenal. It doesn’t have that chalky taste that most protein companies have afterward. It’s high in protein, super easy, and there are a ton of different flavors to choose from. So it’s easy for me to choose.”

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The Cardinals finished the season 8-9, missing out on the playoffs in a competitive NFC West. There is optimism for the young team that excelled past many preseason projections in 2024.

“Yeah, I think for me, Jonathan Gannon and Monti Ossenfort, head coach and GM (General Manager), that they’ve done a very good job of bringing the right people into the building,” McBride explained. “[They are] building this culture, you know, from the ground up, from the foundation, they’ve done a really good job of bringing in a lot of great people, great coaches, things like that, to build this culture the right way. And for me, I think it starts with those guys. Those guys have done a really good job. Kyler (Murray) obviously has done a great job, and just this camaraderie that we have as a team, I think we’re gonna, you know, continue to get better, continue to grow, and I’m excited to see where, where we can take this thing the next couple years.”

McBride’s teammate and rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. was a standout performer, finishing the season with 62 catches for 885 yards and a touchdown.

“He’s an elite player,” McBride said of Harrison. “He’s a guy who’s, you know, been a freak athlete his whole life. He comes from great genes, so I’m excited to see what he can continue to do. He had so many expectations from him, from what he was supposed to do. I thought he had a great season, and in this league, it’s so hard to be successful off the rip. So I’m excited for him to grow this next year, to be able to, you know, see coverages better, to be able to find zones better and grow as a player. He’s such a great player and such a great person, and the sky’s the limit for him, so I’m excited to see where he can take it in the next couple of years.”

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