The Colston Loveland selection last spring had Ben Johnson’s fingerprints all over it, and the Bears head coach proved to be right in his assessment this season. Loveland was a slow starter due to an injury and Johnson working him into the offense. But once he took off, he never looked back.
Colston Loveland’s 2025 Snapshot
By the end of the season, one thing was clear: Chicago’s passing attack ran through the big tight end out of Michigan.
Loveland had a 10-game run in which he caught caught 47 passes for 597 yards and 6 touchdowns. Chicago went 7-3 in those 10 games, significantly contributing to their NFC North title and playoff berth. And to think, it all began with him hauling in a game-winning 58-yard touchdown against the Cincinnati Bengals in November — which really set the stage for the 10-game run he was about to go on to close the season.
DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN COLSTON LOVELAND GOT SLIMED?
During the final two games of the regular season, Colston Loveland caught 16 passes for 185 yards and two scores, with a 36-yard touchdown reception against San Francisco, and a 27-yarder against Detroit. Of course, this set up Loveland’s record-setting postseason.
It began with his performance in Chicago’s victory against Green Bay in the Wild Card round. The rookie tight end caught eight passes for 137 yards. He was held out of the end zone, but Loveland did catch the two-point conversion that followed Olamide Zaccheaus’ touchdown in the fourth quarter that pulled the Bears within three in a game that ultimately will go down as an all-time great win in franchise history. In short, he is exactly who the Bears thought he was coming out of college.
LOVELAND’S BIG YEAR: NFC Player of the Week | NFL Rookie of the Week
David Banks-Imagn ImagesBy the Numbers
Receptions: 58 Targets: 82 Receiving Yards: 713 Receiving Touchdowns: 6 PFF Receiving Grade: 83.3 (3rd)Colston Loveland’s Contract Status
(Contract details and figures are courtesy of Over The Cap)
Loveland will enter the second year of his four-year rookie deal (which included a fifth-year team option as a first-round selection) in 2026. The soon-to-be second-year tight end is scheduled to make $6.05 million in base salary and bonuses, and will account for just 2.0 percent of Chicago’s 2026 salary cap. Chicago should enjoy that while it lasts, because if Loveland’s development arc follows what we saw in his rookie season, he’ll be banging on the door of one of the most lucrative tight end deals in league history in a couple of years.
Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn ImagesTurning the Page
When we entered the 2025 season, there was no shortage of question marks surrounding Ben Johnson and his new-look Bears offense. When it came to a close, there was equal clarity. Ben Johnson wants to run the football and set up the passing game for explosives. He accomplished that in 2025, and Colston Loveland played a significant role in that.
Heading into 2026, Loveland is primed to be Chicago’s top pass-catching option, and it’s a role he earned every bit of in his rookie season. It’s tough to number the pass-catching options for next season in January. DJ Moore’s future is, at least, cloudy. Rome Odunze was injured, sidelining him for a chunk of the schedule down the stretch and, overall, a down season. Luther Burden III was excellent in flashes, and the ceiling for Burden looks promising.
What is clear, eight months before the 2026 season kicks off, is that Loveland is at the top of that list, and the rest of the guys fall somewhere behind him, in whatever order that shakes out to be.
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