The Chicago Bears have lost one of their free-agent tight ends to a contract offer from Dan Campbell and the Detroit Lions early in the 2026 NFL offseason.
According to the NFL’s official transaction wire, the Lions signed former Bears tight end Thomas Gordon to a reserve/future contract for the 2026 season on Thursday, January 29, reaching across rivalry lines to add a second-year player to their roster.
Gordon — a 2025 undrafted rookie out of Northwestern — spent several weeks with the Bears in training camp before missing the initial 53-man roster cut. He also re-signed to the Bears’ practice squad in late December to bolster their ranks after they had to place practice-squad Qadir Ismail on injured reserve, but he has yet to make his NFL debut.
The Bears might have already decided that Gordon was not in the cards for them. They made the bulk of their futures signings for the 2026 offseason between January 20-21 after their season-ending loss to the Los Angeles Rams and did not retain Gordon.
Even still, the Bears have lost the opportunity to second-guess themselves, thanks to Campbell and the Lions investing in Gordon’s talents heading into the 2026 offseason.
Bears Have Already Signed 3 Tight Ends to Futures Deals
Gordon is now off the table for the Bears, but they won’t likely lose sleep over his exit with three tight ends already signed to reserve/futures deals for the 2026 offseason.
Since the end of their season, the Bears have inked futures deals with tight ends Nikola Kalinic, Stephen Carlson and Qadir Ismail. All three spent time on the Bears’ practice squad during the 2025 campaign, but Carlson (14 offensive snaps, 12 special teams snaps) and Kalinic (29 special teams snaps) each appeared in two games as elevations.
The Bears also have their two biggest tight-end contributors — Colston Loveland and Cole Kmet — under contract for the 2026 season, giving them five options for the room.
Loveland led the Bears in receptions (58) and receiving yards (713) and tied for their most touchdown catches (six) as a rookie in 2025, while Kmet added a steady veteran presence and another 30 receptions for 347 yards and two touchdowns at the position.
While the Bears’ tight end position is set up for consistency, though, it remains possible that they could restructure the group in the weeks leading up to 2026 NFL free agency.
Will Bears Restructure Tight End Room for 2026 Season?
The Bears have a clear starter in Loveland at the tight end position heading into 2026, but will the rest of the position group look the same when they open next season?
Kmet is currently in place as the No. 2 tight end and seems more likely than not to stay in the role for the 2026 season, but the Bears must consider whether his value equates to his contract price as they explore avenues for creating additional cap space. Chicago could clear $8.4 million in cap space by releasing Kmet before the league year starts.
The Bears also have a decision to make about their No. 3 tight end, Durham Smythe, as he prepares for unrestricted free agency. Smythe signed an affordable $2.5 million deal with the Bears last offseason and seems unlikely to chase more money in 2026, but the Bears may prefer to test one of their three futures-deal tight ends as the No. 3 instead.
Alternatively, the Bears could also invest in another tight end in the 2026 NFL draft. They won’t take a first-round shot on one again as they did with Loveland in 2025, but they may find a value they cannot afford to pass up in the later rounds, perhaps even as early as the third or fourth rounds if they decide to dump Kmet before the draft arrives.
Ben Johnson Loses Bears Tight End to Dan Campbell and Lions