The Chicago Bears expressed interest in veteran tight end Cole Kmet staying with the team long-term and it's a belief shared by the team's longest-tenured offensive player.
The Chicago Bears still have a lot of work to do this offseason with the 2026 NFL Draft being the next big event coming around the corner later this week.
With the draft coming up, it's a great time to remind people that the Bears nearly have zero available cap space remaining after free agency. The team at the very least needs to free immediate space for the incoming rookie class, UDFA signings, and in-season spending. Much less any other additions make after the draft.
The Bears have a few avenues to explore to create cap space including restructuring some big contracts. Another option is considering option long-term extensions that could help lower 2026 cap hits. The most obvious player to achieve the latter is veteran tight end Cole Kmet, who reinforced his commitment to the team on Monday.
Given Kmet's $11.6 million cap hit for the 2026 season, the Bears would ideally need to do something with that contract to free up some of that space. One option some people floated was exploring a trade with Kmet , which would save $10 million post June 1.
There's some logic behind that after the team used their first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to select tight end Colston Loveland , who's already proven to be a star and future top player at his position.
However, in head coach Ben Johnson's offense, having two top tight ends is a priority. Which is why Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles expressed interest in Kmet staying in Chicago during his exit meeting following the 2025 season. Kmet shared mutual feelings after speaking with reporters for the first time since the season ended.
"If you were to ask me right after [the season ended] what would happen, I didn't think I was going anywhere," Kmet told reporters. "I kind of felt that through the offseason. Look, Ryan and Ben, I really take at their word what they say and they're very honest guys. They expressed interest of me staying here and being here. But, I also understand if an offer comes across their plate for them to make a move or them to make a change, they would definitely do that. But, I never really felt like I'd be playing anywhere else this upcoming year."
Now that we know there's mutual interest between the Bears and Kmet, Chicago has an obvious decision to make. Working out an extension with Kmet can help lower his 2026 cap hit, give Kmet more guaranteed money, and keep him in Chicago for years to come.
It's a similar blueprint the Buffalo Bills did with veteran tight end Dawson Knox one year after drafting Dalton Kincaid in the first-round.
To me, a three-year $30 million extension makes sense but it would require Kmet to accept less money than he's currently making. However, Kmet doesn't have the same role he did back in 2023 when he signed his four-year, $50 million extension.
If Kmet's really committed to sticking in Chicago, working out this kind of deal, or a similar deal, is in the best interests of all parties involved.
