The Kansas City Chiefs made Travis Kelce’s return official on Monday, but the announcement came with some sticker shock. After many assumed Kelce would return to Kansas City on a one-year contract, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport revealed that Kelce was signing “a 3-year, $54.7 deal that can be worth up to $57.735 million," perhaps raising eyebrows on the 36-year-old’s future beyond this season.
While that news may excite Chiefs fans, it also may have caused some dread in the tight end room as players see Kelce signed for the long haul. But like many contracts in the NFL, it isn’t what it seems, and it leaves the door open for Jared Wiley to make his impact in Kansas City.
Travis Kelce’s Contract Structure Gives Jared Wiley One Final Chance with Chiefs
Wiley is at a turning point in his career after two lackluster seasons with the Chiefs. The TCU standout was tantalizing to Chiefs fans during the 2024 draft as a 6-foot-6, 249-pound tight end with a 9.52 relative athletic score coming out of TCU, but things went haywire when he tore his ACL during his rookie season. While he returned for training camp, the Chiefs didn’t trust him last year, giving him 28 offensive snaps during the 2025 season per Pro Football Focus.
As a result, Wiley has just two catches for 11 yards and 122 total offensive snaps over his first two seasons. While he’s still just 25 years old, his inability to get on the field make it clear that he needs to make a big leap to see the field and the initial look at Kelce signing a three-year deal makes Chiefs fans wonder if Wiley will play out the string and be destined for a practice squad spot at the end of training camp or even playing in a different jersey.
But the fine print on Kelce’s deal gives Wiley some hope. According to Charles Goldman of A to Z Sports, “the Chiefs got creative with the structure of Kelce’s contract, enacting a rarely used clause in the NFL’s Collective Bargaining agreement to turn a one-year contract into a three-year deal.”
Goldman continued to explain that while the first year of the deal includes “$12 million plus up to $3 million in incentives,” they also used “the 50 percent rule” provision, which “says a player’s salary and bonuses in a given year cannot be less than the remaining prorated portion of the signing bonus for that year.”
“K.C. can treat the difference between Kelce’s 2026 and 2027 salaries as an optional signing bonus to spread over the final year of the contract in 2027 and 2028,” Goldman continued. “If he chooses to retire in 2027, the Chiefs can effectively relieve Kelce from his current deal before the June 8, 2027, trigger date, where $40 million becomes fully guaranteed. That number is there to ensure that if Kelce continues beyond playing in 2026, he’s not beholden to what amounts to minimum salaries in 2027 and 2028. They can also agree to a new deal before that date if that’s the case.”
In other words, Kelce signed a three-year deal but also put in a Kirk Cousins-like roster bonus that effectively requires a team to commit to future years at an earlier date. That means the first year is the lone significant year of the contract, and if Kelce wants to keep playing, it will be as simple as the two sides tearing up this contract and creating a new one.
This is in place of void years, which Goldman notes the Chiefs have shied away from in previous contracts. It also leaves the door open for Wiley, who could change his narrative around with a strong season.
If Chiefs fans are hanging on, they can look at Wiley’s collegiate production. While he only managed 19 catches for 248 yards and three touchdowns during his first three seasons at Texas, he turned it on after transferring to TCU, catching 71 passes for 765 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Being a full year and change removed from a torn ACL should also help Wiley’s cause, but he needs to respond quickly. If he shows signs of life, he could at least be a running mate for Kelce this year and potentially slide into the top role if Kelce hangs up the cleats going into next season.
It’s a better situation than Wiley found himself in when the initial contract was announced, and could be the lifeline that helps him finally break through and establish a future in Kansas City.