Carolina Panthers Urged to Add Top Two Trade Target in Swap With Bears

The Panthers could be a perfect target for a talented tight end who needs a fresh start.

Jan 18, 2026; Chicago, IL, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) runs onto the field during player introductions before an NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images | David Banks-Imagn Images

Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox released a list of players on the 2026 NFL Trade Block Big Board, and his No. 2-ranked target was Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet. When listing the best destinations for the 26-year-old tight end, the first name up was the Carolina Panthers. 

Cole Kmet and the Panthers could be a match made in heaven, and it could be a fresh start for Kmet after clearly falling behind in the rotation with the Bears drafting Colston Loveland in the first round of last year’s NFL Draft. 

In 2025, Kmet posted his lowest total yards in a season since his rookie year, with 347 receiving yards. While the Bears’ new rookie tight end, Colston Loveland, totaled 747 receiving yards and six touchdowns. . 

In the Caleb Williams era, his numbers in two years dropped from where they were before Williams got to Chicago. Kmet had three seasons in a row of over 540 receiving yards and two seasons with six or more touchdowns. 

Cole Kmet in 2023

718 yards
6 touchdowns
36 first downs
1 drop on 90 targets pic.twitter.com/B4Rwrf0oe9

— DaWindyCity Productions (@dwcprodz) June 29, 2024

Why the Panthers Should Trade for Kmet

Dec 20, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet (85) takes the field before the game against the Green Bay Packers at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images

The Panthers haven’t had great tight-end production lately and could benefit from a real tight end to balance their offense and give defenses something else to account for. Kmet still has plenty of gas left in the tank; he’ll be just 27 in March, and that’s still very young for a tight end.

CALEB WILLIAMS YOU ARE RIDICULOUS

📺: NBC pic.twitter.com/2zphVCnNbd

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) January 19, 2026

Cole Kmet is reliable; he’d give the Panthers a great target in the middle of the field and someone Bryce Young can always look to in red zone or short yardage situations. 

Kmets is not one of the elite guys like a Trey McBride or Brock Bowers, but that’s also not what he’d be asked to be in Carolina; the Panthers already have their focal point of the offense in Tetairoa McMillan. 

What Carolina Would Realistically Have to Give Up

Feb 27, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Carolina Panthers President of Football Operations/General Manager Dan Morgan talks to the media at the 2024 NFL Combine at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

If the Panthers were to target him, now would be the time to buy low on him. Carolina won't have to give up a player either; they'd probably catch the Bears' attention with picks, maybe in the third or fourth round.

It's not like a Maxx Crosby trade, which could involve multiple first-round picks and a player; it’s a solid tight end who isn't a game-changer but can contribute.

The Panthers should absolutely pursue a deal for Cole Kmet, which takes care of one hole in the offense, and it wouldn’t come at too high a price, and Carolina wouldn’t have to use a first-round pick, like they would if they drafted someone like Kenyon Sadiq. 

Hopefully, every Panthers fan checks their phone in March and sees that Adam Schefter notification that Kmet has been dealt to Carolina for a third-round pick. 

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