Travis Kelce is weighing in on becoming the highest-paid tight end in the NFL ... saying he's truly grateful for the historic contract, not only because it'll pave the way for his position for years to come -- but also since it'll keep him "home."
Kelce agreed to a $34.25 million, 2-year extension with Kansas City on Monday ... and on his "New Heights" podcast with brother, Jason, this week, he poured his heart out for those who got him to this point in his career -- including team ownership.
"The Hunt family's been absolutely unbelievable to not only myself and this Kansas City community, but they've just been so generous since I've been here and making it feel like home," Kelce said on the episode.
"For the past 12 years, man, I've been able to make this place exactly that and I've loved every single second of it and I'm gonna love the next two years playing here in Kansas City."
The contract puts an end to any speculation Taylor Swift's boyfriend was considering retirement ... as he clearly isn't ready to walk away from the game just yet.
What happens after those two seasons is up in the air ... but Travis -- who racked up over 11,000 yards since his rookie year in 2013 -- is just happy he's being compensated for his hard work, which will help the next generation's average annual value.
"I got to move the needle for the tight end room," Kelce added.
"It's everyone else's job to go out there and keep making that tight end AAV number go up and up with every single contract that's better than mine in the future."
Jason could be signing on the dotted line soon, too -- the former All-Pro center is expected to join ESPN's "Monday Night Countdown" this season ... but he said as of right now, it's not a done deal.
"Nothing been officially inked yet or announced yet," Jason said, "I think time will kinda take care of that, but it's a tremendous honor to even be considered to potentially work there."
Jason explained he's doing his due diligence by talking to folks who work at the network ... just to make sure it's the right fit for him.
"At the end of the day, something that I'm really, really looking forward to, this next phase."
Bottom line -- the Kelce craze ain't ending any time soon.