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Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet.
There is so much that is going to change about the Baltimore Ravens in 2026 — mostly for the better — that it might not even be a recognizable team from years past when we 1st get a glimpse at them.
While all of these things that are going to change, including a 1st year head coach in Jesse Minter, it’s worth considering if some things that have worked in the past should remain the same.
One of those things to consider not changing is the success the Ravens have had by featuring multiple tight ends in their offense, where they’ve thrived with both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely catching passes in the past.
With Likely gone on a lucrative free-agent contract with the New York Giants and former Ravens head coach John Harbaugh, Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox proposed a trade that would bring the Ravens 6-foot-6, 256-pound Chicago Bears veteran tight end Cole Kmet.
In Knox’s pitch, the Ravens give up a conditional 2027 4th-round pick for Kmet.
Cole Kmet Market-Corrected by Rookie Tight End
Kmet, who signed a 4-year, $50 million contract extension before the 2023 season, was still valuable to the Bears late in the 2025 season and in the playoffs, but the writing was on the wall by the time the season came to an end in the NFC Divisional Round.
The message? Bears tight end and 2025 1st round pick Colston Loveland is the future at the position, and Kmet could be out the door.
“Kmet has been productive throughout his Bears tenure, but he may not be viewed as expendable due to the emergence of rookie Colston Loveland in 2025,” Knox wrote. “Trading Kmet would save Chicago $7.4 million in cap space of $9 million if traded after June 1. For Baltimore, adding Kmet would make a ton of sense. The Ravens lost tight ends Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar in free agency. Kmet is a solid pass-catcher who has tallied 2,939 receiving yards in six seasons and who just turned 27 years old in March. Kmet also has experience under new Ravens offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who held the same position last season in Chicago.”
Playing alongside Loveland, Kmet had just 30 receptions for 347 yards and 2 touchdowns in 2025 — his lowest production since his rookie season in 2020.
Ravens Lost 2 High-Profile Tight Ends in Free Agency
The Ravens made a surprise move by signing Andrews to a 3-year, $39 million contract extension last season — money once thought earmarked for Likely — and almost completely closed the door on Likely coming back when they did.
While the Ravens lost Likely to a 3-year, $45 million contract with the Giants, he also wasn’t the only promising tight end who went out the door in free agency.
The Ravens also lost 6-foot-6, 250-pound tight end Charlie Kolar to a 3-year, $24.3 million free-agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers, which included $17 million in guaranteed money. ESPN called Kolar the NFL’s top “sleeper free agent” option at tight end before free agency started.
From ESPN: “The Y tight end market is en vogue. Kolar is a top option in that equation this year. He can block and catch.”
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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