When Fox signed Tom Brady to a 10-year, $375 million contract before he had even played his final snap, the network demonstrated just how aggressively broadcast partners will move to lock down top-tier star power. Executives were willing to commit record money and wait out an entire gap year just to secure instant authority in their primary booth. Now, a similar race is quietly taking shape around Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Kelce offers television networks a rare combination: a future first-ballot Hall of Famer resume alongside an established mainstream pop-culture audience, and that positioning has already garnered plenty of interest. Appearing on Barstool Sports’ Pardon My Take, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio revealed that early broadcast inquiries regarding Kelce’s post-playing career began well before this season.

“Last year, Travis Kelce and Greg Olsen were inquiring with Amazon about whether or not the Prime Video spot would be available this year, and Kirk Herbstreit was still under contract,” Florio said. “So, Kelce was looking at this last year. He’s already got the relationship with Amazon with New Heights, but his brother’s already got the relationship in place with ESPN, and he’s going to be the one.

“He’s going to be the one they all want. And as it stands, CBS is going to be looking, ESPN is going to be looking, and Prime Video did that extension with Herbstreit, which basically has a clause that says if we find anyone better, we can tear up your contract. So there could be a three-way bidding war for Travis Kelce, and I think they’re all going to want him. And I think he’s going to be in a booth somewhere next year.”

Now, handing a lead analyst chair to a freshly retired player could be an unpredictable gamble because on-field dominance rarely guarantees conversational timing or broadcast polish. But Kelce’s weekly hosting duties alongside his brother, Jason Kelce, on New Heights regularly place the show atop national charts. Trav brings a relaxed on-camera presence that can connect with casual viewers as well as hardcore football fans.

Anchoring all of the outside interest is an elite on-field standard. Drafted by Kansas City in the third round back in 2013, Kelce is currently in his 14th NFL season, having earned three Super Bowl rings and 11 consecutive Pro Bowl selections. He signed a three-year contract extension with the Chiefs in March worth up to $57.735 million, with a base salary of $12 million this season. But if he wants to give that up, he can.

The structure of that deal includes a June 2027 trigger date, giving both Kelce and the front office a checkpoint to evaluate his physical status, salary cap standing, or potential retirement.

The competing networks also bring significant connections to the table. ESPN already signed Jason Kelce to Monday Night Countdown on a deal paying an estimated $8 million per year, offering an obvious path to reunite the brothers under one roof.

This avenue is further solidified by Troy Aikman stating publicly this week that he will test free agency once his contract with the network expires after Super Bowl LXI.

Amazon, meanwhile, already distributes New Heights through its nine-figure Wondery partnership and streams Kelce’s game show, Are You Smarter Than a Celebrity?, making Thursday Night Football a natural extension of an existing business relationship.

CBS rounds out the possible market as network execs across the league monitor long-term analyst depth for their national Sunday afternoon broadcasts. For his part, Travis Kelce has maintained that he’s focused on chasing another championship run with Patrick Mahomes rather than planning an immediate exit. But with broadcasting contracts reaching historic figures and networks leaning on athletes, the framework for an unprecedented media bidding war is already set the moment he hangs up his cleats.

For now, Travis Kelce is focused on hosting the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 6 with the goal of improving their record to 5-0. Beyond the season, whether he retires or plays on, the networks will definitely be waiting to snag him the first chance they get.