5 highest-paid NFL tight ends in 2026 as one $42M star leads the pack and a living legend shocks the league with his new contract

Travis Kelce returning to the Kansas City Chiefs for 2026 grabbed headlines fast. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the deal is for one year and $12 million, with a max value of $15 million.

That is a big story because Kelce is 36, still a future Hall of Famer, and still one of the most recognizable stars at the position.But here’s the part that hits harder: Kelce’s new contract does not put him at the top of the tight end pay ladder. Based on current contract average figures, George Kittle, Trey McBride, T.J. Hockenson and David Njoku all sit in this conversation, while Hockenson still holds the biggest guaranteed-money number among tight ends.

George Kittle

George Kittle currently sits at the top in contract average on Spotrac’s tight end rankings at $19.1 million per year. That puts him narrowly ahead of Trey McBride and well ahead of Kelce’s new 2026 salary. Fox Sports also noted that Kittle’s extension moved him past McBride in annual average value.

Trey McBride

Trey McBride is right behind Kittle at $19 million per year on Spotrac. ESPN’s latest highest-paid-by-position tracker lists him at $19.3 million on a three-year average, which shows just how tight this race is at the top.

Either way, McBride is firmly in the No. 1 or No. 2 spot depending on the contract formula used.

Travis Kelce

Kelce is still near the top of the market, but not at the top of it. Spotrac lists him at $17.125 million in contract average, third among tight ends in the 2025 rankings, and his new one-year Chiefs deal for 2026 is worth $12 million with incentives that can push it to $15 million. That is notable because the biggest name at the position just took a deal that is more about one more run than resetting the market.

T.J. Hockenson

T.J. Hockenson ranks below Kelce in average annual value, but he still owns the strongest guaranteed-money argument. ESPN reported in 2023 that Hockenson’s extension included $42.5 million guaranteed, and Over The Cap still reflects that figure. That means Hockenson is not the annual-salary king, but he remains the guaranteed-money leader at the position.

David Njoku

David Njoku rounds out this list at $13.6875 million per year, according to Spotrac’s active tight end contract average rankings.

He is not in the same bracket as Kittle, McBride or Kelce, but he still lands fifth on the current pay table and stays ahead of names such as Mark Andrews, Jake Ferguson and Pat Freiermuth.Kelce’s new deal made noise because of who he is. The money tells a different story. He is still one of football’s biggest stars, but the tight end market has moved, and younger players now sit above him on the salary ladder. Hockenson, meanwhile, still has the guaranteed-money trump card.