Everyone and their mothers are expecting the Chicago Bears to do something with tight end Cole Kmet, whether that's trading him away or releasing him altogether.
If the Bears decide to move on from their long-time tight end, they would love to get some kind of compensation for him. Bleacher Report writer Alex Ballentine listed one trade each of the 32 NFL teams should make as he urged the Carolina Panthers to trade a 2026 fifth-round pick to the Bears for Kmet.
"Finding a reliable tight end would be a way to boost the passing attack and Cole Kmet is a logical trade target. He's had more than 400 yards receiving in every season other than his rookie year and last season. With the Bears striking gold on the Colston Loveland pick, they could be willing to part with Kmet for the cap savings and take a Day 3 pick."
Is that a good deal for the Bears in a Cole Kmet trade?
Kmet still has two years left on his contract, as the Bears will take a $11.6 million cap hit in each of those two seasons through 2027, according to Spotrac. If the Bears decide to trade him before June 1, they would save $8.4 million and only take on a $3.2 dead cap hit.
Chicago would need to make the move to save money as they look to add weapons to their roster to make a Super Bowl run. Outside of the game-tying touchdown catch in the NFC Divisional Round game against the Los Angeles Rams, Kmet was a non-factor in the passing game as he went for 347 yards and two touchdowns in the regular season last year.
If the Bears really wanted a backup tight end, that can always be addressed in the NFL Draft, and have Loveland be the main starter. Chicago has so many other needs that they can't justify taking an $11.6 million cap hit for a guy who had 30 receptions in 16 games.
The tough part is just getting a fifth-round pick for Kmet is a tough pill to swallow even if the move needs to be made. This is a starting caliber tight end, and a Day 3 pick doesn't seem appropriate for the Bears. Unfortunately, saving money is more important in Chicago, so they might have to take the loss.
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Kmet has done great work with the franchise over the years, but with bigger needs for the team, offloading him is important. Making sure they get a good deal at the same time is just as important.