
#85 TE · Chicago Bears
Height
6'6"
Weight
257 lbs
Age
27
College
Notre Dame
Draft
2020, Rd 2, #43
Experience
6 yrs
TE Rank
#30 / 172
Grade Cole Kmet
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On the field, Cole Kmet grades out as a shaky TE for Chicago Bears (D+ Performance). That places him 30th of 172 graded tight ends. Against that production, his deal reads as fairly priced on the Contract Value Index (C) — the team is paying below what the play would command. The public read is negative (D- Sentiment), drawn from current news and social signal rather than the box score.
| Year | Team | GP | Rec | Yards | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Career | ![]() | 100 | 288 | 2,939 | 21 |
| 2025 | ![]() | 16 | 30 | 347 | 2 |
| 2024 | ![]() | 17 | 47 | 474 | 4 |
| 2023 | ![]() | 17 |
Length
4 years
Total Value
$50.0M
Guaranteed
$22.9M
AAV
$12.5M/yr
The Bears took a measured gamble on Cole Kmet with this four-year, $50M extension, and while it's not a catastrophic overpay, it's hard to call this anything better than a slight reach for a rotational player earning $12.5M annually. Kmet's production profile sits squarely in that frustrating middle tier where he's shown flashes of being a reliable red zone target and possession receiver, but hasn't consistently elevated himself above the pack of solid-but-unspectacular tight ends across the league. At 25, he's theoretically entering his prime years, which provides some upside justification for betting on continued development, especially with Caleb Williams potentially unlocking more of his receiving potential. The $22.9M in guaranteed money offers the Bears reasonable flexibility to pivot after two seasons if Kmet doesn't take the expected leap, though that's still a hefty commitment for someone who profiles more as a complementary piece than a featured weapon. This C-grade CVI reflects a contract that's neither a steal nor a disaster — Chicago paid market rate for a decent starter while banking on upside that may or may not materialize, leaving them in salary cap limbo if Kmet remains merely adequate rather than ascending to that next tier.
Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the C band — a quick read on where Cole's contract sits relative to comparable money.
Cole Kmet enters his sixth NFL season as a former second-round pick who has carved out a reliable role in Chicago's offense but remains well short of his ceiling. Graded D+ overall this season, Kmet's trajectory is concerning — sliding from a C+ in 2023 to a D+ in 2024 and now a D- in 2025. For a 27-year-old with 100 games of experience, that downward arc raises real questions about his development ceiling relative to peers like Dallas Goedert or Mark Andrews at similar career stages. On the positive side, Kmet's yards-per-reception of 11.6 sits above the NFL average of 10.1, suggesting he's winning with the ball in his hands when targeted. The critical concern, however, is volume — his 21.7 receiving yards per game falls well below the NFL average of 35.0 and nowhere near the elite threshold of 55.0. His touchdown rate of 0.13 per game is similarly troubling, less than half the league average of 0.25, limiting his fantasy and real-world impact significantly. It's worth noting that Kmet's career body of work is broader than one snapshot reflects, but the sustained multi-year decline demands honest evaluation. His athleticism and route-running keep him on rosters, but he needs a dramatic efficiency and usage leap in 2026 to remain a starter-caliber tight end rather than a rotational piece. Watch whether Chicago's offensive scheme evolution under their developing quarterback unlocks the red-zone role Kmet has never consistently secured.
Cole Kmet ranks 30th of 172 graded tight ends by performance. That slots Cole between Isaiah Likely (D+) just ahead and Travis Vokolek (D+) just behind.
Graded higher
Isaiah LikelyNew York GiantsD+Jonnu SmithPittsburgh SteelersD+Cameron LatuPhiladelphia EaglesD+Graded lower
Travis VokolekArizona CardinalsCole Kmet enters the 2026 offseason in an uncertain position, with multiple credible reports suggesting the Chicago Bears are exploring trade options at the tight end position. The volume and specificity of trade destination coverage — including named suitors like the Cleveland Browns — signals that this is more than routine offseason noise, reflecting genuine organizational ambivalence about his long-term fit. Despite accumulating nearly 3,000 career receiving yards and serving as a reliable starter for six seasons, Kmet has never broken through to Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition, leaving his market value somewhat difficult to define. His $12.5 million annual salary makes him a tradeable asset rather than a cap casualty, which tempers the negativity slightly, as teams are actively pursuing him rather than simply releasing him. Overall, fan and media sentiment is cautious and unsettled, with the prevailing narrative framing Kmet as a competent but replaceable starter whose next chapter will likely unfold elsewhere.
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Cole Kmet is a player in his 6th NFL season listed at TE for the Chicago Bears. FanVerdicts covers every NFL player, team, GM, and transaction — and puts your verdict on all of it. Sign in to cast your Fan Verdict on Cole Kmet, see where the crowd lands, and argue the call. FanVerdicts also brings its own read — performance, sentiment, and Contract Value Index — as one honest input alongside the crowd's. Where FanVerdicts has weighed in so far: Contract Value Index C, Performance D+, Sentiment D-.
The crowd's Fan Verdict moves in real time as fans vote on this profile. FanVerdicts' own read updates as new data lands — performance recalculates when NFL game stats post, sentiment shifts with media coverage and fan discussion, and the Contract Value Index recomputes when contract terms change. Contract details below show the structure (years, total value, average annual value, guarantees) behind the Contract Value Index read.
For league-wide context, the NFL hub has team rankings, GM report cards, the transactions feed, and live scoreboards. The NFL player rankings page sorts every active player by performance and contract value within their position.
| 73 |
| 719 |
| 6 |
| 2022 | ![]() | 17 | 50 | 544 | 7 |
| 2021 | ![]() | 17 | 60 | 612 | 0 |
| 2020 | ![]() | 16 | 28 | 243 | 2 |
Updated Jun 6, 2026
Recent seasons are weighted more heavily in the overall performance grade.
D-
2025
(50% weight)
D+
2024
(30% weight)
C+
2023
(20% weight)
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