More than 90 NFL tight ends packed into Nashville this July, trading film, footwork and the small tricks of a position that has changed fast. At the center of it were three of the game’s best-known tight ends: Travis Kelce, George Kittle and Greg Olsen. They co-founded Tight End University to give the position its own classroom, and this year’s three-day gathering was its biggest yet.

The setting was a little different for Kelce this time. Just months earlier, he had wondered if his body had another 18-, 20- or 21-week NFL grind left in it. He eventually chose another season. But even as Kelce keeps preparing for the next one, he has been building a life around football that can carry on without it.

Publicis Sports and 3 Arts Sports announced this week via Instagram that they’re teaming up with Kelce to launch TEKTA, a new venture aimed at fixing one of college sports’ most tangled problems: how brands actually find, sign, and measure NIL partnerships with student-athletes.

“I am excited to leverage my lived experience and professional perspective to help close the gap for brands and athletes alike,” Travis said of the new venture 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.” 

The problem TEKTA is trying to solve is a real one. The NIL market is projected to hit $4.5 billion for the 2026-27 season, up from $3.6 billion the year before, according to NIL platform Opendorse. Publicis Sports CEO Suzy Deering explained why that growth has outpaced the tools brands actually have to navigate it.

“Many of our clients are looking for ways to connect with customers at a local level, while also delivering scale and laddering up to a regional or national program,” Deering said. “This has been challenging, if not impossible, to do from a brand standpoint, given all the pain points.”

She added that marketers are often stuck picking talent based on “whether whatever agent is doing a good job,” with no reliable way to track whether the partnership actually worked afterward.

TEKTA’s pitch is to replace that patchwork with one system. Publicis Sports will first shape the brand’s strategy, then TEKTA will identify athletes and schools based on the brand’s audience, market and goals. The venture will draw from a network spanning 45,000 Division I student-athletes and 68 Power Four universities, giving brands a path from national campaigns down to local activations.

The offering also promises a single measurement framework and 50–70% faster speed to market. And there is a reason brands are chasing college athletes in the first place: Opendorse data cited by TEKTA puts their average engagement rate at 5.7%, compared with 1.9% for traditional influencers.

Kelce is serving as an adviser rather than a day-to-day operator, something Deering was direct about given his actual job.

“Needless to say, he has his day job right now,” Deering said, “but he is very hands-on from an advisor perspective.”

3 Arts Sports, the sports arm of Lionsgate-owned 3 Arts Entertainment and the firm that represents Kelce, is joining as a strategic operating partner, contributing relationships across universities, conferences and college athletics. Aaron and Andre Eanes, the firm’s co-heads of sports, framed the whole venture as filling a gap the industry hasn’t solved yet.

“The sports industry doesn’t need more competition, it needs more connection,” they said. “Publicis Sports follows the data, Travis has one of the highest value portfolios in all of sports, and our team has spent years building the athlete and university relationships that make these deals actually work. Together we’re providing what brands and athletes have been asking for in a way that’s never been done.”

And TEKTA isn’t designed to stop at the brand side. Student-athletes will receive training in branding, partnership fundamentals and financial literacy, along with vetted national opportunities, clearer deal terms and longer-term support around career and brand development through 3 Arts Sports.

Initially, access will also be limited. A select group of Publicis Sports clients will be the first brands to activate through TEKTA, with those early partners helping shape how the venture develops.

The move fits a side of Kelce that has been taking shape for years. His portfolio already stretches well beyond football, from the New Heights podcast and consumer brands to hospitality and sports investments. He has also spent years building platforms around athletes and young people, including Tight End University and his 87 & Running foundation.

That makes TEKTA less of a sudden pivot than another layer in a career Kelce has been building while still playing.

Travis Kelce weighed in on his second act 

Kelce has already been clear about one thing he wants to do after football: broadcast.

During a June 2024 episode of the New Heights podcast, Kelce turned down the idea of pursuing NFL ownership because he wanted to remain free to call games.

“I want to broadcast when I’m done playing,” Kelce said. “I want to be the talking head that calls the games. You can’t call the game or do anything like that [have a stake in a team] because of the whole Tom Brady thing. He wanted to have a minority stake in the [Las Vegas] Raiders and it messed with his TV deal.”

Well, Brady’s role in the Raiders dictates strict broadcasting rules. He cannot criticize the teams or referees; he has to attend the practices, pregame production meetings, and also has to comply with the gambling policies. But does that mean Kelce wants a shot with a brand like ESPN? 

“I don’t know, man. ESPN is a very polished organization. I don’t know if I would…,” Travis joked. “I’m just kidding, I’d have a f—ing blast, dude!” 

For now, both paths stay open. Kelce’s focus remains on his 14th NFL season and chasing another Super Bowl ring, but TEKTA is already up and running behind him, giving him a real commercial foothold in college sports well before he has to decide whether the broadcast booth or the boardroom comes next.