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Trade Pitch Brings 49ers $59 Million NFC Tight End
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- Trade Pitch Brings 49ers $59 Million NFC Tight End
The San Francisco 49ers have a great deal of uncertainty at 1 of the most important positions on offense with NFL All-Pro tight end George Kittle recoveing from a torn Achilles tendon suffered late in the 2025 regular season.
The way Kittle is used in the offense and the uncertainty around his long-term recovery mean the 49ers might be smart to make sure they have another elite tight end — and 1 could be available via trade sooner rather than later.
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Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox put Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet at the top of his list of players who should be put on the trade block, and Kmet could be the absolute perfect fit for the 49ers.
"Earlier this offseason, the Chicago Bears restructured the contract of tight end Cole Kmet. Under the amended agreement, the Bears could only save $1.4 million in cap space by trading Kmet this year," Knox wrote on August 10. "Even with Colston Loveland fully establishing himself as the team's top receiving tight end, Chicago isn't going to trade Kmet strictly to save money. However, there's a very real chance that Kmet will be a cap casualty next offseason. Under his revised deal, his cap hit will jump from $7.8 million this season to $15.4 million in 2027. Chicago will save an additional $10 million by releasing him next spring. With Kmet unlikely to be in the Bears' long-term plans, it's worth seeing what he might bring on the trade market now. The Notre Dame product has 91 starts on his resume and has logged three seasons with over 500 receiving yards, so teams without a reliable tight end should be very interested."
Opening the door to Kmet coming to the 49ers shouldn't come with a hefty price — think a late Day 2 or early Day 3 pick in return.
Chicago Bears Have 2 Elite Tight Ends
Kmet, 6-foot-6 and 257 pounds, seems to have had his corner taken by 2025 1st-round pick Colston Loveland by the end of last season but is still an elite option.
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The Bears were the only team to land 2 tight ends in ESPN's annual position rankings , with Loveland at No. 7 and Kmet named honorable mention.
"Kmet is still a quality player who's friendly for a young quarterback, good in the run game," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler was told by an anonymous NFL executive. "They need to find ways to get Kmet and Loveland on the field together."
Chicago Bears Don't Need 2 Elite Tight Ends
Kmet, who signed a 4-year, $50 million contract extension before the 2023 season, was still valuable to the Bears late in the 2025 season and in the playoffs, but the writing was on the wall by the time the season came to an end in the NFC Divisional Round.
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The message? Loveland is the future at the position, and Kmet, who will have $59 million in career earnings when his current deal runs out, could be out the door.
"Kmet has been productive throughout his Bears tenure, but he may not be viewed as expendable due to the emergence of rookie Colston Loveland in 2025," Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox wrote in April. "Trading Kmet would save Chicago $7.4 million in cap space of $9 million if traded after June 1 … Kmet is a solid pass-catcher who has tallied 2,939 receiving yards in six seasons and who just turned 27 years old in March."
Playing alongside Loveland, Kmet had just 30 receptions for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2025 — his lowest production since his rookie season in 2020.
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