After an impressive rookie season, Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland is a breakout candidate going into Year 2.
Colston Loveland's rookie season showed exactly why the Chicago Bears selected him with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The 6-foot-6, 241-pound tight end led the Bears in receiving with his 58 catches, 713 yards and six touchdowns. Loveland's 193 receiving yards in two playoff games is the most by a rookie tight end in NFL history.
The former Michigan Wolverine had his breakout game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 9. Loveland caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-sealing 58-yard touchdown with less than 20 seconds remaining in the game.
With Ben Johnson as his head coach, there is plenty of reason to believe Loveland is just getting started.
The NFL Players Association (NFLPA) seems to think so as well. The NFLPA's marketing and licensing arm, NFL Players Inc., unveiled its annual Rising Stars list, highlighting 10 rookies and 10 veterans who are projected to debut on future NFLPA Top 50 Players Sales rankings.
Loveland was listed as the No. 2 standout veteran. According to the NFLPA, the selections are based on "on-field performance, consumer interest and commercial indicators, including partner demand, merchandise sales, collegiate NIL visibility, NFLPA Rookie Premiere participation, social media growth, team market strength and licensee insights."
The Bears' tight end has 412K followers on Instagram and is an official Vuori Athlete and the headliner for the clothing brand's Breathe Collection campaign.
“The Rising Stars list is our view into where the market is headed,” said Matt Curtin, President of NFL Players Inc, via NFLPA's website. “We are looking at the players that fans are connecting with today and the ones we believe are poised for significant growth. For our partners, identifying those guys early creates opportunities to build stronger campaigns, bring products to market faster and connect with fans while momentum is building.”
Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has also made a lasting impression on the NFL fanbase for his 2025 season. The NFLPA announced that he had the top-selling jersey in June and finished eighth in jersey sales last season.
Williams consistently relied on Loveland to big explosive plays throughout the 2025 season. Now entering their second year together in Johnson's offense, expectations are high for what this quarterback-tight end duo can accomplish. In this scheme, Loveland will plenty of opportunities to elevate his production on the field and his individual brand off of it.
