Latest Rumors on Chicago Bears Trade Involving Veteran Player

The Chicago Bears got a lot younger this offseason.

They said goodbye to many starters from last year’s team, including Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Tremaine Edmunds, Nahshon Wright, Drew Dalman and D.J. Moore.

Byard, Wright and Brisker left in free agency, with Dalman announcing his shocking retirement. Edmunds was released, and Moore was traded to the Buffalo Bills to free up $31.5 million in cap space for free agency.

The Bears signed Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant and Cleveland Browns linebacker Devin Bush in free agency. Chicago also traded with the New England Patriots for center Garrett Bradbury as Dalman’s successor.

There are now rumblings that the Bears are looking to get younger at another position. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin shared the latest on a hypothetical trade involving tight end Cole Kmet.

Kmet isn’t getting any younger, and his contract isn’t set to run out until 2028. The Bears love using 12 and 13-man personnel, so he still has a valuable role with the team.

General Manager Ryan Poles spoke about how locked in Kmet is despite a contract decision coming up soon.

“Cole’s locked in. Even contract-wise, he’s locked in,” Poles said in April. “It’s not just whatever spot he is on the tight end depth chart, but his leadership and what he means to this team is — we view him highly.”

ESPN had four hypothetical trade offers for Kmet, with the first featuring the Carolina Panthers. The Bears would send Kmet and a 2028 sixth-round pick for a 2027 third-round pick and 2028 fifth-round pick.

The Baltimore Ravens, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins were also named in the article.

For the Ravens, the Bears would only give up Kmet and receive a 2028 third-round pick. The Chiefs gave up a 2027 third-round pick and required Kmet and a 2027 fifth-round pick.

The Bears would receive a 2027 fourth-round pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick for Kmet if they traded with the Dolphins.

While it would be tough to see a beloved player like Kmet go, the Bears did prepare for this in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Poles selected Stanford tight end Sam Roush in the third round, who has a similar skillset to Kmet. Roush is projected to be the No. 3 tight end on the depth chart at the moment, and could come right in and fulfill Kmet’s role if the team moves on from him.

The Bears recently restructured Kmet’s contract ahead of the draft, which lowered his cap hit to $7.75 million. However, his cap hit will now be $15.4 million in 2027, so the Bears may be more inclined to move him then if they choose to do so.

For now, Kmet’s role in the offense is important. Colston Loveland is more of a receiving threat, so Kmet needs to be the blocking tight end.

However, no one is safe in the NFL, as history has shown us.

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