The Chicago Bears have put a ton of pressure on Cole Kmet to perform in 2025. A four-year, $50 million extension made Kmet one of the offensive pillars of the Ryan Poles era, and two years ago, he rewarded that faith by catching 73 passes for 719 yards and six touchdowns.
While Kmet looked like an emerging threat at tight end after that season, life can come at you fast in the NFL. Kmet’s performance faded during the 2024 season, and his coach, Matt Eberflus, was replaced by Ben Johnson. Johnson went on to hand-pick his tight end of the future by selecting Colston Loveland in April’s draft, and Kmet has spent the rest of his time trying to prove that he belongs in their long-term plans.
The campaign has not been successful as Kmet has seven catches for 116 yards and a touchdown through the first four games. But while the presence of a rookie and a poor performance against the Las Vegas Raiders has turned up the heat, the pressure is mounting as well based on Kmet’s contract.
Cole Kmet’s Contract Could Push Him out of Chicago
Kmet managed to survive all the offseason trade rumors. While providing insurance on the roster for Loveland was one reason, the amount of money remaining on Kmet's contract was certainly the other. According to Over the Cap, the Bears would have eaten $4.8 million in dead money if they traded Kmet by June 1, 2025. After keeping him, the Bears would eat just $1.6 million and save $10 million in cap space. Unfortunately, Kmet's slow start has undoubtedly dissuaded teams from taking on that contract.
Kmet's deal becomes a little more movable as he heads into the back half of the contract. The Bears could save $8.4 million if they trade Kmet before June 1, 2026, and that number heads back to $10 million if they deal him after that date. The dead money in a pre-June 1 trade also continues to decrease over the next several years, with a total of $3.2 million in 2026 and $1.6 million in 2027. The numbers are the same if the Bears decide to release Kmet, putting even more pressure on Kmet to perform this season.
As mentioned above, the expected level of performance hasn’t happened, and things only seem to be getting worse. While Kmet had a season-high nine targets in last week’s win over the Raiders, he made just three catches for 46 yards. To make matters worse, Kmet had a drop inside the red zone that led to a Chicago punt and a false start on fourth-and-inches, which moved the Bears back five yards and forced another punt.
Either play could have given the 25-24 win a little more breathing room. Instead, that showing has left many wondering when Loveland will return from his hip injury. The performance this season has been subpar, but it is Kmet’s contract that has turned this into a long-term question that must be answered. Each performance like the one fans saw on Sunday could bring a sudden end to his time in Chicago.