The Chicago Bears have been as aggressive as any team during the 2025 offseason, completely revamping their offense. Under new head coach Ben Johnson, Chicago will look to end a four-year run without a playoff appearance and has added several key pieces to its roster in hopes of doing so.
After addressing their offensive and defensive lines in free agency, the Bears spent their first two 2025 draft picks on offensive playmakers. That could spell the end of the road for one of Chicago’s current offensive stars, though, with a recent PFSN article highlighting a potential trade candidate.
Bears Predicted To Trade Away Cole Kmet Following 2025 NFL Draft
The Bears made a statement in the 2025 NFL Draft, taking Michigan tight end prospect Colston Loveland at No. 10 overall. The team then doubled down on its skill group by adding the electric Luther Burden III early in Round 2. According to PFSN’s Sterling Xie, Loveland’s addition could spell the end of Cole Kmet’s time in Chicago.
“After an offense-heavy free agency and trade period, the Chicago Bears continued to lean into stacking the offense in Ben Johnson’s first draft. The Bears made Colston Loveland the first tight end off the board with the 10th overall pick, giving Chicago the TE prospect with the highest receiving upside and extensive experience in Michigan’s pro-style system.
“All that raises questions about Cole Kmet’s future. On one hand, the Lions used multi-tight end sets at the seventh-highest rate last season (42.5%). It’s entirely possible Johnson intends to pair Loveland and Kmet together and play both significant snaps.
“However, the Bears also drafted receiver Luther Burden III in the second round and have a host of other veteran receivers that could allow Chicago to lean into 11 personnel more successfully than last year.
“Kmet is likely no higher than fourth in the receiving pecking order, and potentially fifth depending on Burden’s development. A post-June 1 trade would save the Bears $10 million in cap space, and the dead money would be a minuscule $1.6 million each of the next three years. With three years left of team control, the 26-year-old Kmet could likely fetch a solid return if the Bears pull the plug.”
With so many moving parts in Chicago this offseason, it’s difficult to know where each player is going to land on the depth chart. For Kmet, though, the writing seems to be on the wall.
Tight end was a fruitful position in Johnson’s Detroit Lions offense, but Loveland’s draft capital would suggest that he will immediately overtake his new teammate.
Kmet has offered Chicago a solid receiving option during his five years in the NFL and signed a four-year, $50 million extension in 2023. Coaching changes often result in roster casualties, though, and Kmet could very well be on a different team come September.
I would question all the Chicago Bears comments recently as compared with the writers on this thread…
Stupid writer!!!
The Bears already stated how excited they were to run two TE sets. No trade is going to happen. Do some research before writing an article that you have no clue about.
Stupid!!!! 🤣
So Ben Johnson will trade away the TE with the lowest drop rate in the NFL and keep a draft pick who has not played a down in the league? He is going to use Smythe and Loveland and possibly a 3rd round WR from a low end SEC team rather than a proven receiver who also long snaps and blocks better than any other member of the receiver room? The writer here must not understand anything about the game. The last coach was fired from his misuse of the talent on this team, so Johnson is going to repeat this? No way Kmet gets traded. Click bait article with no basis in facts.
I agree. The writer of this story is not using all of his senses. Dumb thought. They would trade DJ before Kmet.