After what the Bears did at 10 overall, every fan knows it’s become a big season for fan favorite Cole Kmet.
We’ve unveiled three names so far on our list of the 10 Chicago Bears with the most to prove in 2025. 10th was Roschon Johnson, ninth was Jaquan Brisker, and eighth was Gervon Dexter.
Number seven on the list is tight end Cole Kmet. Kmet’s 2024 season was not as strong as his 2023 season, but after a contract extension given to Kmet before last season, I don’t think many people would have thought Kmet had any chance to land on this list in January, but the NFL Draft certainly changed that.
The predraft buzz was all about whether the Chicago Bears would make a move for Ashton Jeanty. Whether that story was overblown or just didn’t come to fruition, the Bears didn’t make a move for a running back until the seventh round.
While the talk was all about Jeanty, there was a quiet buzz about the Bears possibly taking a left tackle if the board fell their way, but if it didn’t, there was also a buzz about the Bears taking a tight end.
Nobody was 100% certain if the target was Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland, but after the names like Ashton Jeanty, Will Campbell, and Kelvin Banks came off the board, it was clear that the tight end target was going to be the move and when the Bears were on the clock, the pick was Michigan TE Colston Loveland.
The speculation immediately became a question about Cole Kmet and his future with the team. Would he be traded this offseason? Will he be cut or traded after the 2025 season? Could he last longer? The questions were rampant.
There is a path that Kmet has a role on this team far beyond 2025, depending on how he fits into the Ben Johnson offense.
The Bears have an opportunity to create the best 12 personnel in the league. They can be lethal in 12 if Kmet figures out his role and can be utilized by Caleb Williams properly.
What’s also interesting is Kmet’s contract. Kmet is under contract through the 2027 season. Why is that important? Because after the 2027 season, Colston Loveland, if he is the guy that Ben Johnson and Ryan Poles believe he can be, would be due a contract extension.
If the Bears want to keep this duo together for the next three seasons and then move on from Kmet once Loveland needs a contract, it should work out well under the salary cap.
Kmet just turned 26 in March and, in theory, is entering his prime for the next few seasons, but Kmet needs to show this year that his 2024 season wasn’t necessarily a regression from him, but a regression from the entire offense.
Kmet only had 474 yards receiving, which was his lowest total since his rookie season. He only had four touchdowns, his lowest since 2021. His 10.1 yards per reception was also the third lowest of his career.
But if you read between the lines, there’s also hope for Kmet. We know how bad the entire offense was, but Kmet found success within those struggles. Kmet’s catch rate was a staggeringly high 85.5%, the highest of his career. He also had a 70.9% success rate, which is also well above his previous career high of 62.2%.
Kmet only had 55 targets last year. Early on, the reason for that certainly seemed to be a Shane Waldron problem. But even after Waldron, Kmet’s role in the offense never really grew. Was that a Caleb Williams problem? Or was it a Cole Kmet problem?
We are going to find out the answer this year. Ben Johnson is here, and we know he knows how to utilize a tight end. Will he focus on using Loveland like Sam LaPorta? Or will he create a unique offense that we didn’t see too much in Detroit with two pass catchers at tight end?
Kmet isn’t really competing for Loveland for snaps at tight end; he’s competing with the wide receivers as to what type of personnel formation they use more often.
We know DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are going to be the team’s top two wide receivers. But with Luther Burden and Olamide Zaccheus behind them, they can also have a dynamic 3-WR set. Will Johnson want to utilize 3-WR sets more often, or is he going to fall in love with the mismatch that their 12 personnel could be? A lot of that is going to depend on Kmet’s performance.
If Kmet doesn’t fit in this offense, the Bears may pivot away from him as early as March of 2026, but if Kmet finds his role and becomes a key contributor to Ben Johnson’s offense, not only will he almost certainly be a part of the offense in 2026, but you should expect him to be back in 2027 as well.
This is a critical year for Kmet. Will he get in rhythm with Caleb Williams and Ben Johnson and become a key contributor, or will the offense see Colston Loveland emerge and Kmet’s role reduce until he finds himself expendable after this season?
Those two very different outcomes are why Cole Kmet is one of the Bears with the most to prove in 2025.