After the Bears celebrated a gritty 30-24 victory over the New England Patriots Thursday night, the mood around Halas Hall took a darker turn Friday afternoon with the latest update on one of their toughest players.
Bears tight end Cole Kmet is done for 2026, with the team placing him on injured reserve after a serious knee injury suffered in the fourth quarter of the Thursday night game.
With the Nov. 10 trade deadline approaching, Chicago must find out whether first-round tight end Colston Loveland and rookie third-round tight end Sam Roush can fill the void.
Kmet hauled in a second-down pass from Bears starting quarterback Caleb Williams with 5:34 left in the game. Two New England Patriots defenders hit him as he churned upfield with the first down in sight, according to an NBC Chicago report.
After receiving on-field attention from the Bears training staff, Kmet exited the game on a cart after finishing with three catches for 28 yards, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.
“We’ll know more tomorrow, but I don’t think it looked very good,” Coach Ben Johnson said after the game, as quoted by NBC Chicago.
Johnson later, on Friday, confirmed the Bears will place Kmet on injured reserve for the rest of the season, not the four-game minimum, according to a report by NFL insider Ian Rapoport. Kmet is “a big part of our heartbeat,” Johnson said, adding, “It stinks. I hate it.”
Cole Kmet’s Career and Contract Situation With Chicago Bears
Kmet, 27, was born March 10, 1999, in Lake Barrington, Illinois, according to Pro Football Reference. He skipped his senior season at Notre Dame after catching 43 passes for 515 yards and six touchdowns in 2019. The Bears made him the 43rd overall pick in 2020, according to Over the Cap.
His best season came in 2023 with 73 catches, 719 yards, six touchdowns. He has 298 career receptions for 3,026 yards and 22 touchdowns. The production dipped after the Bears took Loveland 10th overall in 2025, when Kmet had 30 catches for 347 yards and two touchdowns.
Kmet agreed to a $50 million extension over four years on July 26, 2023, running through 2027. An offseason restructuring shaved $3.8 million off his 2026 cap charge, leaving it at $7.775 million. His 2027 charge rises to $15.425 million, with none of the salary guaranteed. Cutting or dealing him then frees $10 million in cap room while leaving $5.425 million in dead money.
Chicago Bears Plan for Life Without Cole Kmet at Tight End
Only Loveland and receiver Rome Odunze played a bigger share of Chicago’s offensive snaps among pass catchers than Kmet’s 62.19%. Kmet also topped every NFL tight end with 197 blocking snaps through Week 6.
Chicago’s offense leans on formations with two and three tight ends, ranking third and fourth in the NFL in how often it uses them, according to Sports Illustrated.
Roush, with three catches for 33 yards, is next in line.
Chicago has just two healthy tight ends on its active roster, Loveland and Roush. Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail sit on the practice squad, and Carlson appears to be the likelier promotion. The Bears could also sign a free agent or make a minor trade before the Nov. 10 deadline.
Cole Kmet Update: Why Bears $50 Million TE Won’t Catch Another Pass in 2026