Chicago Bears fans were given even more reason to believe in a year two jump for star tight end Colston Loveland this week. The Score's Chris Emma offered the following tidbit: "Ben Johnson pointed to Colston Loveland and Luther Burden III among players who were in the weight room well before the offseason program began: 'Our group for one week in terms of the field work, I’m really pleased with what it looks like. These guys are dialed in; they’re very focused. And the whole coaching staff is going back to the basics, and those guys are really embracing that mindset."
While this is incredibly exciting for Loveland, it is yet another example of a comment that has to catch the attention of Cole Kmet. The writing has been on the wall for the past year that the two sides are quickly reaching the end. Even after a recent contract restructure, the two sides simply have very little reason to think that this is going to be a long-term fit.
Kmet is likely coming back for the 2026 season, but is on thin ice with the team keeping the production due to the receivers lost in the offseason. The presence of Loveland and the selection of Sam Roush have made sure that Kmet is heading out of Chicago.
Loveland's improvement only adds fuel to this and continues to suggest that Chicago is setting up for an exit either at this year's trade deadline or in the 2027 offseason. A lot of this depends on how big a jump Loveland takes and what Kmet can offer.
Colston Loveland's Improvement Continues to Set the Stage for Cole Kmet's Bears' Exit
If Kmet can find a way to earn the trust of Caleb Williams and be a consistent source of offense, a trade is unlikely to happen in the 2026 season. The performance of the tight end is going to go a long way in deciding his fate and how soon an exit is going to happen. The presence of Roush is an interesting wrinkle in this as well and suggests the Bears are set up for this to play out a number of ways.
Johnson's take on Loveland points to a potential path where the tight end becomes one of the league's star pass catchers. If this is the way things play out, Kmet is unlikely to finish the season with Chicago, becoming obvious trade bait to fill another position of need.
No matter how things might play out, there is no debating that Kmet's exit has been set up. These comments simply serve as a reminder that the timeline is yet to be determined, as the veteran remains on borrowed time.
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