From the moment the Chicago Bears drafted Colston Loveland in the first round, the rumors of Cole Kmet being on the trade block grew. The team could keep him for the duration of the next two seasons, and the rumors still would not go away.
Would Chicago Bears trade Cole Kmet in-season?
Therefore, it should come as no surprise that Kmet is one of the most anticipated trade pieces, as noted in an article by Bleacher Report writer Kristopher Knox. Kmet is ranked as the eighth most valuable trade piece.
"Kmet could be available for a strong offer, and his availability will only increase if Chicago pushes toward the trade deadline without a winning record. The five-year veteran could become a cap casualty in 2026.Kristopher Knox
The Bears could trade Kmet in the offseason and save $8.4 million in 2026 cap space. Trading him now would save $9.9 million in 2025 cap space.
A lot will depend on whether Loveland keeps Kmet from having a significant role in Chicago—as Brock Bowers did to former second-round pick Michael Mayer in Las Vegas. The Bears, though, can expect a much stronger trade package than what the Raiders might expect for Mayer.
Kmet has racked up 2,592 receiving yards in five years. Given his production and age (26), his value should be closer to what we saw Deebo Samuel command (5th-round pick) than what the Miami Dolphins got for tight end Jonnu Smith (6th-round pick)."
The team can save an extra $1.5M if they trade him now, but that honestly does not seem worth it. What is the team going to do in-season with all of that cap space? They made their moves, they like their roster, and now they are heading into the season.
Unless they were going to acquire another player back, what would they do with the cap space? Just roll it over to next year. They could still trade Kmet this offseason, get a very similar compensation, and then it would only cost them a little over $1M. The return would have to blow them away.
That gets to the next point: the return would just be a fifth-round pick. So, they are making their depth worse, they are going to struggle to replace him in-season, and they are just getting a late-round flier back. That is not a wise decision for the Bears unless the team starts off struggling and is already shifting their focus toward next year.
Kmet can open a lot for Loveland, and having additional weapons through the wear and tear of the season is never a problem in the NFL.
Trading Kmet this past offseason or next offseason is completely reasonable. The team could have used the cleared-up money on the roster, or they could have used the draft pick to have another rookie in the fold.
Read more: CBS Sports reveals much-improved ceiling and floor for Bears' 2025 season
There is almost no positive to trading Kmet now if the team is serious about competing. They could not move him, and now they should wait until the offseason to try again, where the same offer and cap savings are available.