Bear Digest

Bears' Ryan Poles Must Avoid Making Big Mistake With Cole Kmet

Cole Kmet's contract poses a conundrum for the Bears, and there's only one right answer.
Pete Martuneac|
Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

In this story:

Chicago Bears

In a season full of success for the Chicago Bears, including clinching the 2025 NFC North championship, one important fact has gone underappreciated: general manager Ryan Poles hit an absolute home run when he selected tight end Colston Loveland with the tenth overall pick of the 2025 NFL draft. I had suggested on draft night that Colston Loveland was the wrong pick for the Chicago Bears, and I've never been happier to be so laughably wrong.

Loveland took a while to get going, but after his Week 9 breakout game against the Cincinnati Bengals, in which he scored the game-winning touchdown, he never looked back. He even set an NFL record in the Bears' Divisional round loss to the Rams, passing Detroit's Sam LaPorta for the most postseason receiving yards (193) by a rookie tight end.

It sure looks like Loveland is set to take the torch from Travis Kelce as the next great NFL tight end, which leaves the Bears with one awkward question: does Cole Kmet have a place on this team going forward? He signed a contract extension in 2024 that made him one of the highest-paid tight ends in the league, and now he's not even the best tight end on his team.

This conundrum is what Bears' reporters David Haugh and Clay Harbor discussed at the Chicago Sports Network on Wednesday.

The Bears still need Cole Kmet, even if his role has changed

Kmet's contract and Loveland's breakout have fans and analysts alike thinking that Kmet is bound to be a salary cap casualty this offseason. Kmet himself already sounds resigned to this fate. But I don't think it's an open-and-shut case. As Haugh points out, it would be a mistake to look at Kmet as nothing more than a line on a spreadsheet. As the longest-tenured Bear (alongside Jaylon Johnson), he brings invaluable leadership and veteran experience to this team. He's a mentor to Loveland, and as good as Loveland has been, there's still plenty he can learn from the seventh-year veteran.

Additionally, the NFL is seeing a surge in the usage of tight ends. Teams are utilizing two or even three tight ends on a play far more than they have in recent years, and Bears' head coach Ben Johnson is leading that charge. Having one really good tight end is simply not sufficient anymore. You need at least two, and that's what the Bears have in Loveland and Kmet.

Cole Kme
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Kmet's contract is still a bargain

All that is well and good, but can the Bears afford to keep Kmet? They're already tight against the salary cap, and they may have some huge extensions coming down the line. The short answer is 'yes'. General manager Ryan Poles still has several salary cap tools in his bucket. He can create tens of millions of dollars in cap space at the drop of a hat this offseason just by doing simple restructures.

Kmet's $11.6 million cap hit is not insignificant for a TE2, but it's not a hindrance to building a Super Bowl-caliber team. There are better ways to create salary cap space than releasing a respected locker room leader, and Ryan Poles knows this. If anything must be done with Kmet, I'd expect them to add a year to his contract to spread out his cap hit, or even give him a bonus up front.

The Bottom Line

Kmet has been a polarizing player in the Bears fanbase for years now, and I expect some fans would like to see him go, especially if it clears up some salary cap space. However, I don't think he's going anywhere. With the salary cap expected to clear $300 million for the first time in NFL history, and considering all the other salary cap clearing options at Poles' disposal, I expect Kmet to remain a Bear for at least one more season.

Cole Kme
David Banks-Imagn Images

More Chicago Bears News:

Sign Up For the Bears Daily Digest - OnSI’s Free Chicago Bears Newsletter

Published
Pete Martuneac
PETE MARTUNEAC

A former Marine and Purdue Boilermaker, Pete has been covering the Chicago Bears since 2022 as a senior contributor on BearsTalk. He lives with his wife, two kids and loyal dog.

Home/News