Kelce, an important factor in the Chiefs’ three titles in the last five years, is often hailed as one of if not the best in his position – a sentiment Hill holds.
Still, Hill insisted Kelce took a ‘friendly’ deal for the team’s sake.
‘I think Kelce like at 14, 15 [million],’ Hill said on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast. ‘Nobody’s Travis Kelce. Nobody’s Patrick Mahomes, either. Those two – they’re just different.
‘They’re gonna be the highest-paid. But obviously, they’re gonna take friendly deals ’cause you know… [They want to] keep the team together.’
Hill got drafted by the Chiefs in 2016 and stayed in Kansas City until 2021. After sharing the field with Kelce for the first six seasons of his NFL career, the five-time First-Team All-Pro player insisted that Kelce was the best tight end he played with.
‘Of all time? For sure,’ he said when asked if Kelce is the greatest tight end before retracting and saying: ‘The greatest tight end that I played with, I will say that.’
‘I don’t wanna say nothing else about nobody else’s career. But [from] what I’ve seen and how hard he works in practice, he’s definitely the greatest.’
According to SportRac, Kelce makes a base salary of $12m, placing him behind Mahomes and offensive tackle Jawaan Taylor.
While admitting he did not want to leave the Chiefs, Hill previously explained that he wanted to get paid like the best wide receiver in the NFL. His wish materialized when the Dolphins signed him to a four-year, $120m deal in 2022.
Before emphasizing Kelce’s pay, Hill addressed the Chiefs’ paying reputation behind his experience.
‘I wanted to be in KC, I told them that,’ Hill said. ‘I don’t know what it is, man. I believe it’s one of those things like they wanna keep the core guys together.’
‘But I think you have a real good team and a real good owner and you guys are winning all of these championships – money’s there bro.’