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The Chicago Bears have been open to trading from their roster this season, as seen by their deal of DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills.
They didn't fill his roster spot in the 2026 NFL Draft, free agency, or the trade market, but they feel confident with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden. Chicago is similarly confident in their tight end room.
Colston Loveland, rookie Sam Roush, and Cole Kmet are a great group. But, as Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report highlighted, the Bears could trade Kmet after June 1. It's far from a guarantee, but there is a reason a trade might make sense after that date.
Why Bears might wait until after June 1 to trade Cole Kmet
"Trading Kmet before June 1 would cost the team $4.1 million in additional cap space," Knox writes, "while trading him after that date would save $1.4 million."
Chicago could save $1.4 million by trading Kmet after June 1, which is not a ton of money, but if they're solely looking to save money, it is a cost-cutting move.
Roush can fill in the TE2 spot behind Loveland nicely, as his blocking ability is good enough to replace Kmet, and he does have some receiving upside.
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There has been some buzz this offseason about a Kmet trade. But, since the Bears decided to restructure Kmet's deal, there's been a smaller chance they part with him than before.
However, if they do still want to move on from Kmet and trade him to a TE-needy team following the NFL Draft, then doing so after June 1 would make sense.
They could get back a decent pick for Kmet, potentially a mid-rounder in the 2027 NFL Draft. But if the Bears are looking to contend this year, which seems to be the case, then holding onto Kmet might make more sense.
However, it's too soon to rule out Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson trading Kmet this offseason. And if a trade were ever to become reality, it would almost certainly occur after June 1, so the Bears could save $1.4 million instead of losing $4.1 million.
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