Chiefs Star Travis Kelce Makes Major Move in College Football NIL Space

Kansas City Chiefs tight end and three-time Super Bowl champion Travis Kelce is taking a direct position in college football’s burgeoning NIL universe with a new initiative.

Kelce is teaming up with Publicis Sports and 3 Arts Sports by announcing the debut of Tekta, an NIL business that will seek to help brands establish and structure partnerships with student athletes and schools, in a new announcement this week.

New partnership in college football's NIL space

The new venture will help players find new financial opportunities and take advantage of the NIL marketplace across college football and other NCAA sports, with Kelce working as an adviser, and 3 Arts Sports, a talent management firm that represents him, will serve as a strategic operating partner.

In establishing the new collaboration, Kelce and his associates will look to help well known brands market their products while also ensuring that the partnerships stick to the rules and regulations set down by schools, state governments, and athletic conferences, even if many luminaries across the sport often complain that such rules are poorly defined and even more poorly enforced.

“I am excited to leverage my lived experience and professional perspective to help close the gap for brands and athletes alike,” Kelce said, according to Variety.

He added in a statement: “Streamlining the process will allow everyone to fully realize the potential of engaging across the board, including the significant opportunity that lies in those untapped sports and undiscovered personalities.”

NIL bucks are flying

The amount of money being spent across the NIL landscape in college football and other sports has exploded since the NCAA allowed students to profit from their names and likenesses in 2021, with an estimated $4.5 billion set to change hands during the 2026-27 season.

That’s an increase from the $3.6 billion that was spent in the market a year ago, according to figures tabulated by NIL tech platform Opendorse.

Publicis Sports is set to formulate strategies for clients and then deliver them to Tekta to scout athletes and schools based on the needs of brands, while Kelce is poised to come on as a high level advisor in that process, in addition to his ongoing playing role with the Chiefs.

Kelce, who became the fifth tight end in NFL history with 10,000 receiving yards and holds a dozen other league and positional records, enters his 14th season with the Chiefs in 2026.

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