Michael Heldman
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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 08: General Manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have less than $250,000 in salary cap space, which means significant cuts, trades and/or contract restructures are coming in the weeks ahead.
Perhaps the most popular and impactful performer on the roster whose future remains uncertain is 27-year-old tight end Cole Kmet, who is entering the third season of a four-year contract worth $50 million in 2026.
Chicago can save $8.4 million against the cap this season and $10 against the 2027 cap by dealing Kmet ahead of the NFL draft, which is 15 days out. The Bears can bump those savings slightly to $10 million in both 2026 and 2027 by dealing the tight end with a post-June 1 designation.
Kmet has significant trade value as a potential TE1 in several spots across the league, including to the Carolina Panthers. The Panthers just won the NFC South Division and had the Los Angeles Rams on the ropes late in Round 1 of the playoffs.
Carolina has a couple major decisions to make on quarterback Bryce Young, including whether to pick up a $25 million team option on his fifth year in 2027 ahead of May 1, as well as whether to extend him longterm.
The best way for the Panthers to gauge Young accurately is to surround him with as much talent as possible and see where the chips fall. As such, dealing for an upgrade at tight end like Kmet after drafting wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan with a top-10 pick in 2025 is a logical step.
Cole Kmet Has Mid-Round Trade Value in Upcoming NFL Draft
Bears TE Cole Kmet
GettyChicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
Bears GM Ryan Poles is familiar with the Panthers front office, having dealt with them before. Poles sent Carolina the No. 1 overall pick the team used to draft Young and got a haul back in return, which included wideout DJ Moore and the No. 1 selection in 2025 that brought Caleb Williams to the Windy City.
Ralph Vacchiano of FOX Sports recently authored a trade proposal in which Chicago sends Kmet to the Panthers in return for a fourth-round pick (No. 119) this year and a conditional sixth-rounder in 2027.
“Kmet showed what he was capable [of] in 2023 when he caught 73 passes for 719 yards and six touchdowns, but the emergence of Colston Loveland has made him an afterthought in Chicago,” Vacchiano wrote. “With two years and $20 million left on his contract, the Bears could be enticed to move on now.”
Cole Kmet Expendable Due to Presence of Colston Loveland on Bears’ Roster
Colston Loveland
GettyTight end Colston Loveland of the Chicago Bears.
Head coach Ben Johnson’s decision to draft Loveland 10th overall last spring was a clear indication that the clock had begun to tick on Kmet’s time in Chicago. However, Johnson runs a significant number of two-tight end sets, and pairing Loveland and Kmet proved valuable last season.
That said, Kmet’s value as a TE2 is dampened by the richness of his contract. Thus, moving him to create salary cap space and replacing him with a mid-round rookie or a bargain-bin free agent who can do 75-80 percent of the same stuff for way less money is probably the prudent course.
Furthermore, Chicago can potentially get into trade conversations for the likes of New York Giants defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence for the price of one of the Bears’ two second-round picks (Nos. 57 and 60) along with their fourth-rounder (No. 129).
Adding a fourth-rounder while also clearing out cap space by trading Kmet achieves several outcomes Chicago might want, regardless of whether it tries to deal for Lawrence. However, doing so also unquestionably makes trading for Lawrence more feasible, and he would fill a major need for the Bears.