Pitting Travis Kelce's contract vs. Trey McBride's $76,000,000 extension: Which star TE comes out on top?

Travis Kelce and Trey McBride are two of the best tight ends in the NFL. Kelce is a perennial All-Pro TE while McBride is fresh off his first Pro Bowl season. Both players are important to how their teams operate offensively.

Ahead of the 2025 season, the Arizona Cardinals made McBride the highest-paid TE in the NFL. The Colorado State product has surpassed Kelce on the list.

Let's compare both players' contracts and examine why the Cardinals opted to reset the TE salary market.

Pitting Travis Kelce's contract vs. Trey McBride's $76,000,000 extension

According to Yahoo Sports, Trey McBride signed a four-year $76 million extension with the Cardinals on Thursday, including $43 million guaranteed, which will pay him $19 million per year.

The contract officially topples Kansas City Chiefs superstar Travis Kelce's deal. Kelce signed a two-year $34,250,000 contract with the team on April 29, 2024. His deal had $17,000,000 in guaranteed money upon signing, which would earn him $17,125,000 per year. Kelce is set to become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.

The Arizona Cardinals are banking on McBride to be one of the best players at his position for the foreseeable future. He'll form a dynamic pass-catching duo alongside Marvin Harrison Jr., with both players catching passes from perennial Pro Bowler Kyler Murray.

However, McBride still has a long way to go before he's put in the same caliber as Kelce. The Chiefs star is a 10-time Pro Bowler, has four first-team All-Pro selections, three second-team All-Pro nods and three Super Bowl rings. He is widely considered as one of the greatest TEs of all time.

McBride is fresh off his first-ever Pro Bowl invite after ending the 2024 regular season with 111 catches, 1,146 receiving yards and two touchdowns. In comparison, Kelce finished with 97 catches, 823 receiving yards and three TDs.

Here's a look at the top five highest-paid TEs in the NFL:

1. Trey McBride, Arizona Cardinals - $19 million per year
2. Travis Kelce, Kansas City Chiefs - $17,125,000
3. T.J. Hockenson, Minnesota Vikings: $16.5 million
4. George Kittle, San Francisco 49ers: $15 million
5. Dallas Goedert, Philadelphia Eagles: $14.3 million