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Travis Kelce Breaks Silence on NFL Return With Kansas City Chiefs
Travis Kelce scored big with his new NFL contract.
Two weeks after the tight end confirmed he would be returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 14th season, he signed a new deal that could see him play through the 2028 season.
The contract has a maximum worth of $57.7 million over three years, with $12 million guaranteed for the 2026 season, multiple outlets reported. The remainder of the contract is dependent on the 36-year-old remaining on the roster for future seasons.
For his part, Travis—who is currently planning his wedding to fiancée Taylor Swift—shared his excitement to be playing in the upcoming season.
"Chiefs Kingdom! Let's go baby! It's official," he said in a video shared by the Chiefs on X. "Excited for 2026 and just excited to put on a Chiefs uniform in front of you guys again. Let's get Arrowhead rockin' baby! We'll see you guys in a few months."
Though there were months of speculation that Travis may retire from the NFL following the 2025 season—his 13th with the Chiefs—he recently revealed there were no doubts going on behind the scenes.
"I'm not gonna lie, it was pretty short and brief,” he said of his decision process earlier this month on The Pat McAfee Show. “The Chiefs knew where I was the entire time on it."
Johnnie Izquierdo/Getty Images
However, the three-time Super Bowl champ—who will continue to play alongside Patrick Mahomes for the 2026 season—noted he intentionally took some time to reflect during the off-season.
"You always need to take a step back on it," he continued. "Breathe, let the emotions of the season settle down and see where the body is, and things like that. But man I'm still in love with this game, I'm still in love with going to work, putting on the pads, grinding it out and playing the game."
While Travis is heading into the 2026 season with a brand-new contract, read on to see other top-earning athletes’ salaries…
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Cristiano Ronaldo
For many sports stars, Cristiano Ronaldo's salary is goals. After all, the Portuguese soccer player regularly tops lists of highest-paid athletes.
In June 2025, Ronaldo signed a two-year extension with Al-Nassr FC in Saudi Arabia. And while the exact value of the deal wasn't revealed, multiple outlets reported he received an annual salary of approximately $200 million when he first signed with the team in 2022 after leaving Manchester United in England.
Eduardo Carmim Eduardo Carmim/SPP/Shutterstock
Lionel Messi
Lionel Messi kicked off his time at Inter Miami CF with a big check. The annualized average guaranteed compensation for the Argentine player—who signed a two-and-a-half-year contract with the David Beckham-owned team in 2023 after having previously played for Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona—is more than $20.4 million, with a current annualized base salary of $12 million, per the MLS Players Association's 2025 salary guide.
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Alex Morgan
However, pay gaps still exist when comparing the salaries of male and female sports stars. Case in point? There were no women on Forbes' 2025 list of top 50 highest-paid athletes.
Alex Morgan—who retired from soccer in 2024 after playing her last game with the San Diego Wave—came in at No. 16 on the outlet's ranking of highest-paid female athletes last year. The publication estimated the World Cup champ earned $600,000 on-field and $7 million off-field (scoring some solid endorsement deals) in 2024.
And while there have been strides to bridge the pay gap (with U.S. Soccer becoming the first federation to equalize FIFA World Cup prize money for the country's women's and men's national teams), there is still a long way to go until it's a more equitable playing field.
Matt Kryger/NBAE via Getty Images
Caitlin Clark
After being the No. 1 overall selection in the 2024 WNBA draft, Caitlin Clark signed a four-year contract with the Indiana Fever that, according to The Athletic, was worth $338,056 and resulted in her receiving a $76,535 salary her rookie year.
Many were shocked by the figures considering the base salary for NBA players is much higher.
Caitlin also has endorsement deals, including one with Nike that The Athletic reported was worth $28 million.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Stephen Curry
Topping ESPN's list of NBA players' salaries for the 2025 to 2026 season is Stephen Curry, with the outlet reporting he raked in $59.6 million. However, the Golden State Warriors weren't going to miss their shot at having the guard play longer.
In August 2024, Steph signed a $62.6 million extension that keeps him on the team through 2027, his agent confirmed to CNBC.
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LeBron James
Also dunking all the way to the bank? LeBron James. According to ESPN's list, the Los Angeles Lakers forward made $52.6 million during the 2025 to 2026 season.
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Coco Gauff
Coco Gauff is also serving up major moves.
The tennis champ reigned at the top of Forbes' list of highest paid female athletes in 2024 with an estimated $34.4 million in total earnings that year ($9.4 million on-court and $25 million off).
Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
Naomi Osaka
Naomi Osaka appears to be acing her brand deals, too.
Forbes reported the Grand Slam title holder from Japan pulled in an estimated $12.9 million in 2024, and that $12 million of that sum came from income earned outside of her match winnings.
Tom Weller/VOIGT/GettyImages
Simone Biles
Simone Biles got the gold in more way than one.
According to Forbes' list, the Olympic gymnast earned an estimated $11.2 million in 2024 (with $11 million of that total reportedly coming outside of her competition earnings).
David Eulitt/Getty Images
Travis Kelce
If you're trying to fill the blank space on how much Travis Kelce makes playing for the Kansas City Chiefs, here's the answer: The tight end signed a three-year deal in 2026 worth $57.7 million, according to multiple outlets.
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Patrick Mahomes
As for his teammate Patrick Mahomes, the quarterback scored a pretty penny when he signed a 10-year contract with the Chiefs in 2020 worth $450 million, according to his agency Equity Sports.
Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images
Josh Allen
The Buffalo Bills weren't going to fumble the opportunity to keep Josh Allen on their team. In March 2025, the quarterback inked a six-year deal that, per Rapoport, is worth $330 million (with $250 million guaranteed).
Duncan Williams/CSM/Shutterstock
Russell Wilson
Russell Wilson touched down on a new team.
After previously playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers, the quarterback signed a one-year contract with the New York Giants in March 2025 worth $10.5 million, per NFL Network Insiders' Rapoport, Pelissero and Mike Garafolo. However, the trio reported Russell could receive up to $21 million on the deal through incentives.
Justin K. Aller/Getty Images
Aaron Rodgers
Stepping in as the Steelers' quarterback is Aaron Rodgers, who previously played for the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
And while the QB will be wearing No. 8, his paycheck reflects a much bigger number. The one-year contract he signed in June 2025 is worth $13.65 million with $10 million guaranteed, per NFL Network Insiders Rapoport and Pelissero. However, the Insiders noted Aaron could earn up to $19.5 million through incentives.
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