The Chicago Bears will have difficult decisions to make before the start of 2026 NFL free agency to ensure they have enough cap space to build their roster, which could include shedding some of their priciest players from their books.
For instance, veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is a popular mention among the team’s potential cut candidates, given the Bears would save $15 million by cutting him. The Bears could also release running back D’Andre Swift (about $7.47 million) or tight end Cole Kmet ($8.4 million) to free up significant chunks of cap space for 2026.
When it comes to Kmet, though, the Bears may have a better option than an outright release if they have plans to move on from their $50 million tight end this offseason.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox argued the case for the Bears to explore their trade options with “luxury” that is Kmet during the 2026 offseason, projecting a 2026 fifth-round pick as the price tag and pitching the Carolina Panthers as a top landing spot.
“While Kmet saw a greatly reduced role during [Colston] Loveland’s rookie campaign, he has three 500-yard campaigns on his resume and will turn just 27 in March,” Knox wrote. “He can be a solid long-term starter for a team in need of a pass-catching tight end.
“The Carolina Panthers should be interested in adding a tight end of Kmet’s caliber. Carolina won the NFC South and appears poised to take another positive step. However, it could use a more dynamic tight end to aid quarterback Bryce Young.”
Colston Loveland Makes Cole Kmet More Expendable
Trade speculation about Kmet is nothing new. Analysts have widely asserted since the Bears drafted Loveland at No. 10 overall in the 2025 draft that Kmet’s long-term future is in jeopardy, and they have a point after how well Loveland played as an NFL rookie.
Loveland took some time to get going for the Bears in 2025. A pre-draft shoulder injury restricted him in his first NFL offseason and for a portion of training camp, while a hip injury in Week 3 forced him to miss his first career NFL game in Week 4 against Vegas. Once the Bears cut him loose, though, Loveland became one of their biggest assets.
Loveland caught 53 passes for 659 yards and six touchdowns over the final 12 games of the regular season, playing at least 40 offensive snaps in every matchup. He hauled in another 12 passes for 193 yards in the playoffs with a dominant performance (eight receptions, 137 yards, 63 snaps played) in their 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers.
Loveland’s willingness to act as a blocker in the run and pass games also made it harder for the Bears to take him off the field. While Pro Football Focus graded him out as 70.0 as a run-blocker in his rookie year, his blocking gradually improved throughout 2025.
With Loveland already fringing on superstar territory and under contract for the next three seasons (plus a potential fifth-year option in 2029), the Bears could easily justify moving on from Kmet before the 2026 season if they feel they need the cap savings.
Bears Might Feel Cole Kmet Retains Too Much Value
The trade discourse surrounding Kmet is perfectly justifiable. Between his $11.6 million cap hit and Loveland’s emergence as a rookie, the Bears could count him as expendable.
Then again, the Bears might feel no pressure to move on from Kmet, given the way that head coach Ben Johnson made use of his talents during his first season at the helm.
In 2025, Kmet finished with his lowest pass-catching numbers since his rookie season, making 33 receptions for 378 yards and three touchdowns between the regular season and the playoffs. He also finished with a career-high 11.6 yards per reception and made regular contributions as a blocker that had him on the field for 768 of the Bears’ 1,154 offensive snaps — 67 more than Loveland played.
Kmet’s snap count is the most telling. Johnson showed a devotion to multiple tight-end sets during his first season as head coach, using both Kmet and Loveland on more than 700 offensive snaps and playing third-stringer Durham Smythe on nearly 300 snaps.
So long as Johnson feels Kmet retains enough value, keeping him makes more sense.
Bears Projected to Trade $50 Million ‘Luxury’ Playmaker to NFC South