Cole Kmet’s future in Chicago suddenly looks a whole lot murkier after a non-contact injury sent the Bears tight end off the field on a cart during Sunday’s Week 7 win over the New England Patriots.
It was the kind of scene that immediately raised alarms, and Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t try to paint it in a rosy light afterward.
“I don’t think it looked very good,” said Johnson after the game.
Johnson said he would have more updates later in the week, but the early read is that Kmet’s 2026 season is over. And if that’s the case, his time in Chicago could be nearing an end too.
Kmet was already a name other teams had been circling on the trade market this year. The Bears spent premium draft capital to reshape the position, taking Colston Loveland in the top ten of the 2025 NFL Draft and then Sam Roush in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft. That move signaled where the team sees its future at tight end, and Kmet was no longer part of that long-term blueprint.
For now, the Bears are still leaning on him, but the injury changes the picture fast. Roush is now positioned to get more run than expected as a rookie, and the added experience could set him up for a bigger role heading into year two.
That makes Kmet’s contract situation even harder to justify. He signed a four-year, $50M extension in 2023, and 2027 is the final season on that deal. Chicago could move on by release or trade and clear more than $10M in cap space.
There would likely be teams willing to send a late pick to absorb his salary, and after the injury and the growing role of Roush, it would be difficult to argue against Chicago taking that kind of deal.
Still, Caleb Williams made it clear how much Kmet has meant to him.
"Cole's been there for me every step of the way, through the first year, through the second year, and now through this year,” said Williams. “I don't have the words to describe what Cole is to me, what Cole is to this team. I'll be right there with him through every step of whatever the injury is."
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