Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson is just days away from his first regular-season game in the Windy City. It will be a monumental moment for the first-time head coach, who is looking to change the vibe and atmosphere around this franchise.
It won’t be easy, as the Bears are coming off a disastrous 2024 season. However, the new head coach is determined to change the culture and do it his way. On Tuesday, Johnson took another step forward in establishing a new culture by naming the new team captains for the 2025 season.
According to Courtney Cronin of ESPN, the Bears will have five season-long captains and one new captain each week. When looking at Chicago’s captains, it seems like a good list, but there were a couple of notable omissions for the offense. Veterans Cole Kmet and DJ Moore weren’t listed as captains after holding that honor last year.
The Bears voted on captains for the season. There will be 5 season-long captains + 1 new one each week.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) September 2, 2025
Offense: Joe Thuney and Caleb Williams
Defense: Kevin Byard and Grady Jarrett
Special teams: Cairo Santos
Cole Kmet Surprisingly Not Listed as Team Captain for 2025 Season
For Kmet, this is shocking, as he’s heading into his sixth year with the franchise. And one would expect the veteran tight end to have a notable role in the offense, but with the addition of rookie tight end Colston Loveland, Kmet’s days could be numbered.
Now, it won’t be easy for the Bears to get rid of Kmet, as he just signed a four-year, $50 million extension in July 2023 and won’t become a free agent until 2028.
However, taking a deeper look at his contract, the former second-round pick has a potential out in 2026. If Loveland plays well this season and asserts himself as the top tight end, Kmet now becomes expendable next offseason.
Last year, Kmet took a step back in production from what he did in 2023 (73 receptions, 90 targets for 719 yards and six TDs). He had 47 receptions (55 targets) for 474 yards and four touchdowns. Granted, the Bears’ offense had a lot of changing parts, which contributed to Kmet’s stats taking a dip.
Fast forward to this year, and the hope is that Kmet can have a good year under the direction of Johnson, who has put his tight ends in position to succeed, as we saw in Detroit.
Bears fans likely don’t want to see the Lake Barrington, Illinois native leave after this season, but not being a captain and the team getting a younger option in the draft doesn’t spell good news in the long term for Kmet.