It’s hard for tight end Cole Kmet to believe he’s already in his sixth season with the Bears.
‘‘Crazy,’’ he said, though not as crazy as the line of people he has seen come and go at Halas Hall.
Ben Johnson is his third head coach and sixth play-caller. And as Kmet counted names in his head, he laughed hard and confirmed: ‘‘That sounds right. . . . It’s been a carousel.’’
It sounds accurate, not right. Nothing about Kmet’s time with the Bears has been quite right.
He’s on his fifth full-time starting quarterback in Caleb Williams, and Kmet’s statistics have bounced all over the place as he has navigated the tumult of the Bears going 29-55 during his tenure.
‘‘I try to take a positive approach to it: It’s helped me develop as an overall player, compared to just being fit in a certain role and sticking with that,’’ Kmet told the Sun-Times. ‘‘You learn to play the position differently depending on who’s calling the plays.’’
So he rolled with it, did what was needed and impressed general manager Ryan Poles, who didn’t draft him, enough to earn a $50 million extension in 2023. Less than two years later, Johnson came aboard, and the Bears drafted tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick.
After a down 2024 season that featured 47 catches for 474 yards and four touchdowns, Kmet is fighting for his future at 26. In 2023, by the way, he caught 73 passes (seventh among NFL tight ends) for 719 yards (ninth) and six touchdowns (second).
Johnson and Poles have maintained Loveland is an enhancement, not a replacement for Kmet, and pointed to Johnson’s propensity to play two tight ends. But it’s rare to have two high-production players at the position. While the Lions’ Sam LaPorta put up 726 yards and seven touchdowns on 60 catches with Johnson as his coordinator last season, Brock Wright got 16 total targets.
Kmet likely will be essential this season, but the Bears will be able to drop the final two seasons of his contract for a manageable $3.2 million salary-cap hit after that. He’s aware his time with the team might be running short.
‘‘That’s the league,’’ Kmet said. ‘‘I don’t think you should ever feel safe. If you’re not winning, you’re always going to be fighting for a job.
‘‘I love competing; I’m all about that. I can put my best foot forward, and if it doesn’t work out here I’ll carry it on somewhere else.’’
That’s not what he wants, but he’s just being practical.
Kmet knew the Bears’ history and hoped to help change it. It hasn’t happened yet. There’s renewed optimism, however, thanks to Johnson, and Kmet is on board with however he plans to use him.
‘‘I want to see it work here and I want to see us win here,’’ said Kmet, who grew up a Bears fan and played high school ball at St. Viator. ‘‘It means more to me here than it would any other place. That’s where I remind myself to put the ego aside. I’m not going to be a guy that’s complaining about touches or my certain role. It’s just doing what they ask of me to the best of my ability.’’
The upside is that Johnson seems bullish on Kmet. He listed him among players he already trusts and called him ‘‘a bit of a unicorn’’ because of his versatility.
Johnson has experimented with Kmet lining up out wide to get favorable matchups against linebackers and safeties in the flats. He likened it to former Saints-turned-Broncos coach Sean Payton’s use of ‘‘a joker,’’ who can be moved around ‘‘as a chess piece’’ to create confusion in a defense.
‘‘You’re always looking for those types of guys,’’ Johnson said.
Kmet has convinced coaches before, so maybe he’ll do it again. And Johnson’s loyalty will be to whoever can help him win. It’s Kmet’s best — and perhaps last — chance to prove he can be a difference-maker in a thriving Bears offense.
