When there’s nothing you can do to stop someone else from getting paid more for the identical task you do, what do you do? You can be furious with the unfairness. It can consume you from the inside out. Alternatively, you may simply shrug, be grateful for what you do have, and go on.
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce appears to be doing just that. Because he helped the Chiefs win their third Super Bowl this year and, of course, because he’s dating Taylor Swift, Kelce could be the most well-known player in the NFL right now. Her attendance at Chiefs games has increased football’s appeal to unprecedented levels, attracting new followers and money to the game.
After recently renegotiating his deal to $34.25 million over the next two years, Kelce is now the highest paid tight end of all time, possibly in acknowledgment of his indirect impact to football generally and the fact that he is the best tight end on the field. In the 2024–2025 season, that amounts to $17 million, and in the 2025–2026 season, it can reach $17.25.
That is undoubtedly a respectable salary. However, it is currently less than half of what the highest-paid wide receiver earns. Justin Jefferson, a wide receiver with the Minnesota Vikings, just inked a four-year contract deal worth up to $140 million, or $35 million annually.
“I’m not a guy that holds out.”
But from what he says in public, it doesn’t seem like he resents it at all. He even expressed his gratitude to the Chiefs for renegotiating his contract and giving him the wage increase a few weeks ago, saying he would have stayed with the organization regardless of the boost. He declared, “I’m not a guy that holds out.”
Which brings me full circle to Kelce’s singing of his answer. Some listeners would have interpreted his comments as a sign of animosity if he had spoken them instead. He made it apparent that the remark was intended in a playful manner by singing them.
It was an indication of emotional intelligence to do it. However, the fact that Kelce appears content to accept a salary that is just half of what he would make as a wide receiver suggests even more emotional intelligence.
One well-known experiment involving capucin monkeys demonstrated that it could be in our human—or perhaps non-human—nature to feel jealous of what we have when we know someone else is getting more.
Kelce appears to be able to withstand the urge to slide into jealousy and animosity. He is aware of his good fortune and how his relationship with Time’s Person of the Year, his podcast, his championship team, and the well-timed convergence of all these things have combined to make him the most successful person in the world at the moment. He’s smart enough to put his envy aside and simply enjoy the journey.