ESPN’s NFL reporters took a crack at the trade market this week, and Bears tight end Cole Kmet was one name that surfaced in the conversation.
ESPN’s Bears reporter Courtney Cronin framed the scenario, a handful of reporters cooked up hypothetical offers, and the exercise is worth walking through, even if the conclusion lands right where you’d expect.
Let’s set the scene first.
Kmet’s contract was restructured before the draft, lowering his 2026 cap hit to $7.775 million while increasing his 2027 cap hit (the final year of his deal) to $15.425 million. Chicago then used a third-round pick on Stanford tight end Sam Roush, which naturally invited the question of where Kmet fits in a room that now includes Colston Loveland and a developmental piece with some legitimate upside. Ryan Poles answered that question pretty directly after the draft.
“Nothing changes as far as our feelings with Cole,” Poles said (via Courtney Cronin). “Cole’s locked in. Even contract-wise, he’s locked in. It’s not just whatever spot he is on the tight end depth chart, but his leadership and what he means to this team — we view him highly.”
Hard to read much ambiguity into that. But the exercise of evaluating what Kmet could fetch on the open market is worth doing regardless, because his situation (a 27-year-old tight end on a manageable contract entering the final stretch of his deal) is exactly the kind of thing that generates calls from around the league, whether a team is shopping him or not.
Colston Loveland (84) and Cole Kmet (85) stand on the field during training camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn ImagesWhat Could Cole Kmet Fetch In a Trade?
Here’s what ESPN’s reporters came up with.
Carolina Panthers (Jeremy Fowler)
Bears Receive: 2027 third-round pick, 2028 fifth-round pick Panthers Receive: Kmet, 2028 sixth-round pickWhat Fowler had to say: “The Panthers, long in transition, are closer to contention after their first playoff appearance since 2017. Tight end is the glaring offensive need after they didn’t address the position in free agency or the draft. Kmet is 27 and on a reasonable contract, so he has real value. This move would allow the Bears to showcase Roush alongside Loveland while bolstering future draft capital.”
Baltimore Ravens (Dan Graziano)
Bears Receive: 2028 third-round pick Ravens Receive: KmetWhat Graziano had to say: “A 2027 third-rounder seems a tad rich straight up, and the Bears are short on 2027 middle-round picks after the Garrett Bradbury trade. So here they still get a valuable Day 2 pick, just delayed a year, while the Ravens get some badly needed help at a position that was hollowed out by the departures of Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar.”
Kansas City Chiefs (Ben Solak)
Bears Receive: 2027 third-round pick Chiefs Receive: Kmet, 2027 fifth-round pickWhat Solak had to say: “This is a strong offer, but Kansas City likely has the biggest tight end need in the league. Travis Kelce plays much more slot receiver than true tight end, while Noah Gray and Jared Wiley have not moved the needle behind him. As the Chiefs commit to a better rushing attack, they need skill position players who can block. Kmet can reconnect with coordinator Eric Bieniemy and adds a much-needed dimension as a traditional Y tight end.”
Miami Dolphins (Seth Walder)
Bears Receive: 2027 fourth-round pick, 2027 sixth-round pick Dolphins Receive: KmetWhat Walder had to say: “The Dolphins might be rebuilding, but they still need talent, especially to give quarterback Malik Willis a chance. Kmet would immediately be the presumptive starter in a trade like this, adding value to Miami’s offense as a receiver and as a blocker. The receivers currently on Miami’s roster combined for 73 receptions and 888 receiving yards last season.”
I Wouldn’t Trade Cole Kmet Right Now, But the Conversation is Out There
Cronin’s verdict was that none of the offers get the job done for Chicago, and I agree, with one addition: it’s hard to see this happening at all.
Poles has been direct and consistent about Kmet’s place on this roster. The tight end room is built around Loveland as the featured receiving threat, with Kmet as a versatile, experienced No. 2 who can line up in multiple spots, contribute as a blocker, and provide the kind of locker room presence that doesn’t show up in a box score. Roush, for his part, projects more as a 13-personnel piece (the role Durham Smythe filled last season) than as a direct threat to Kmet’s role. At least for this season.
Personally, subtracting from the 2026 roster doesn’t make much sense to me, even if you can make the case that there’s some overlap with Kmet in the tight end room these days. To that, I would argue that Johnson loves multiplicity within his offense and position groups. Besides, I like the Roush addition and profile, and obviously, so too do the Bears, but we don’t know what he is yet. He’s never taken an NFL snap. If nothing else, I like having Kmet there as a safety net in case Roush doesn’t produce.
Cole Kmet (85) reacts after making a touchdown catch against the Detroit Lions during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn ImagesIf I had to guess, Kmet will be in Chicago in 2026. The more interesting question is what happens after the season, when he’ll be 28 heading into the final year of his deal, and the Bears will have to decide whether to extend him or let the clock run out. That’s the Kmet conversation worth having. I feel like we’re just not there yet.
But if nothing else, ESPN’s through exercise gives us an idea of what Kmet’s eventual trade market could look like if that’s the route they choose.
Cronin wrote that if a deal were going to happen, Walder’s Dolphins package is probably the most interesting of the four, purely because of where those picks could land given Miami’s projected win total. That’s fair, but I feel like Graziano’s Ravens mock offer of a 2028 third-rounder straight up for Kmet makes the most sense for Chicago, especially if this is a conversation that takes place next year rather than now.
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