Winners of five in a row and nine of their last 10 games, the Chicago Bears are rolling right now. Where things go from here for the 2025 season is a beautiful mystery, and fans surely don't want to think about the offseason at all right now.
But NFL front offices always have an eye on the future. The draft, free agency, future salary cap outlook, etc, none of it escapes attention at any point on the calendar. Tough decisions often have to be made when the offseason comes, in the name of cap space or roster construction.
ESPN's Dan Graziano fleshed out some potential surprise cut or trade candidates around the league when the offseason arrives. A Bear made the list, but how surprising his offseason departure would actually be is a different matter.
"The Bears used the 10th pick in the draft on tight end Colston Loveland, who has become a bigger part of the offense as his rookie year has progressed. Kmet is signed for two more years at $10 million per year, but none of that money is guaranteed. The dead money hit if Chicago cut him would be just $3.2 million."
"Kmet has been a useful and reliable part of the Bears' offense and could certainly continue to coexist with Loveland in 2026 and beyond. He has 231 yards and two scores on the season. But if Chicago is looking for a place to find some cap relief next spring, Kmet's contract could be vulnerable."
Cole Kmet actually stands out as obvious potential offseason departure for the Bears
When Colston Loveland was drafted in April, trade speculation around Cole Kmet was instant and automatic. But "12 personnel" is a core part of head coach Ben Johnson's offense, so there was a place for Kmet to contribute. It's unclear whether trading Kmet was ever on the table last offseason, but it never made a ton of sense unless an unbelievable offer came along.
As this season has gone on, as expected, Loveland's has taken on a bigger role while Kmet's involvement in the passing game has faded. If we compare the situation to how Johnson used tight ends over his last couple seasons as the offensive coordinator in Detroit, Loveland is Sam LaPorta and Kmet has become Brock Wright.
Kmet has two years left on the four-year, $50 contract extension the Bears signed him to in 2023. But as Graziano noted, he has no guaranteed salary left, and there would be minimal dead money pain attached to cutting him (or trading him).
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As things sit right now, the Bears have to look for ways to clear notable amounts of cap space for 2026. Parting ways with Kmet stands out as one of the most obvious ways to do that, and he also happens to be a prime potential trade asset who could be the TE1 on a lot of other teams.