Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet embraces his crucial role in Ben Johnson's offense and is ready to elevate the unit going into the 2026 NFL season.
Not long after the Chicago Bears' 20-17 loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the 2025 playoffs, Cole Kmet spoke with Ryan Poles and Ben Johnson for team's player exit meeting.
The veteran tight end came away with a sense of clarity about his future after speaking with the Bears' general manager and coach.
“I thought I did a lot of the things that they asked me to do coming into the year, and I felt really good about that," Kmet said. "I got to my exit meeting with them right after the game against L.A., and if you were to ask me right after that, I didn't think I was going anywhere. I kind of felt that throughout the offseason. Ryan and Ben, I really take them at their word, what they say, they're very honest guys. They expressed an interest in me staying here and being here and all that stuff. But I also understand if an offer comes across their plate for them to make a move or to make a change, they would definitely do that. But I never really felt like I would be playing anywhere else this upcoming year.”
Kmet finished his sixth season in the NFL with his second-lowest receiving total in his career with 378 yards and caught three touchdowns. The surface-level stats don't tell the full story on how the 6-foot-6, 260-pound tight end impacted the offense.
Outside of this third NFL season, Kmet finished with the second-most run blocking snaps in his career. The Bears finished with the third-most rushing yards in the NFL.
Kmet also earned a 70.2 pass blocking grade, according to Pro Football Focus, the second-highest mark in his career. The Bears' tight end was asked to explain how he fits in Johnson's offense this season.
“I think it's the same as last year," Kmet said. "I thought we did a lot of great stuff in 12 personnel within the run game and in the pass game as well. I thought Colston (Loveland) and I both made plays and obviously Colston really came alive there down the stretch, which is really cool to see as a third-down and red zone threat. He's going to have a chance to do a lot of special things his upcoming year. I just think it's a continuation of what we did last year and leveling up again.
That's what we're going to have to do if we want to have success on offense this year and (if) we want to have success as a team. I think the two tight ends in this offense are paramount and I saw that. It might not always be in the passing game, there's a lot of things that I had to do last year within pass protection and in the run game that proved to be very valuable for the team, and I saw that. More importantly, Ben and Ryan really recognized that as well.”
Loveland ended his rookie season as the team's leading receiver with his 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns. Kmet understands how Loveland's skill set presents different opportunities for the Bears' offense, but he is also aware of how vital his game is to operate the not as flashy details to make Johnson's scheme operate.
Each player has a unique role, and Kmet looks forward to building on his 2025 performance to help the team progress even further.