ESPN predicts Bears could make surprising offseason decision

The Chicago Bears have taken a huge step in the right direction during the 2025 NFL season.

After a slow start to the year, the Bears have turned things around. Entering Week 14 action, Chicago holds a 9-3 record, leads the NFC North, and holds the best record in the entire conference. Right now, the Bears look like a legitimate contender.

Granted, there is still a lot of work for Ben Johnson and company to complete. Nothing has truly been won yet. But, the fans have every right to be ecstatic about the present and future of the team.

With that being said, the upcoming NFL offseason is going to be an interesting one for the Bears.

In order to truly become a contender long-term, Chicago will need to make some smart decisions. The team has taken a step, but there is more work to be done. One intriguing roster decision has been predicted.

ESPN analyst Dan Graziano has suggested that the Bears are likely to move on from tight end Cole Kmet after the 2025 season.

“Kmet has been a useful and reliable part of the Bears’ offense and could certainly continue to coexist with Loveland in 2026 and beyond,” Graziano wrote. “He has 231 yards and two scores on the season. But if Chicago is looking for a place to find some cap relief next spring, Kmet’s contract could be vulnerable.”

Since being drafted by Chicago with the No. 43 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Kmet has caught 278 passes for 2,823 yards and 21 touchdowns in 95 total games.

Unfortunately, the reality of the situation is that Kmet does seem to be a likely candidate for the Bears to move on from. Chicago needs to free up some money and the team simply doesn’t have a need for a No. 2 tight end like Kmet.

It’s possible that Ryan Poles could choose to keep him around, but parting ways seems like the most likely scenario at this point in time.