Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet wants to ‘prove these guys right’ after receiving 4-year, $50 million contract extension

Tight end Cole Kmet took the call from his agent about 20 minutes before the Chicago Bears opened their first training camp practice Wednesday at Halas Hall.

It was news that had been in the works for weeks: The St. Viator and Notre Dame graduate can enter his fourth NFL season secure in his future with his hometown Bears.

Kmet and the Bears agreed to a four-year contract extension worth $50 million, including $32.8 million guaranteed, sources confirmed. It is general manager Ryan Poles’ first extension for a player the Bears drafted.

“It’s obviously life-changing stuff, and it’s pretty wild to think about,” Kmet said. “Honored to be here. Honored that they felt I was a guy worthy of this. Ready to get going and prove these guys right and play beyond what the contract value is. And show that they made the right decision.”

Kmet said he and the Bears began contract talks at the end of organized team activities in June and they picked up pace a few days ago. He said it was a relief to go into his first practice with a deal in place after feeling stressed “just not knowing what’s going to happen.”

“When I’m out on the field I can control what’s going on. … ‘Hey, I’ve got to go cut off this defensive end or I’ve got to go win this route.’ I’m in control of that,” Kmet said. “But when you’re in these negotiation talks, everything is done at that point. There wasn’t play going on. There was nothing I could go out and do. You’re just kind of waiting and seeing. I can’t control Ryan’s thoughts on what he truly thinks about me. He has an opinion one way or the other, and you just kind of sit there hoping.”

Kmet was a 2020 second-round draft pick of former general manager Ryan Pace. But Poles and coach Matt Eberflus have expressed appreciation for what Kmet has done during their year-plus with him. Eberflus said Wednesday that Kmet has “a bright future ahead of him” and called him “that type of guy, that type of tight end, that type of man that represents everything we want to represent here at the Chicago Bears in terms of being smart, being tough, playing with intensity.”

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Over three seasons, Kmet has 138 catches for 1,399 yards and nine touchdowns and hasn’t missed a game. He had a career-high seven touchdowns in 2022 in his first season in Luke Getsy’s offense, along with 50 catches for 544 yards — the highest yards per catch of his career.

“He’s a pro,” Eberflus said Wednesday. “He’s a guy that can be trusted. He’s a fantastic teammate with him just leading by example. We talk about modeling the behavior you want to see, talk about his practice habits, how he is in meetings, how he works with other players, how he works with the coaches, how he leads in times of adversity. He does all those things, and that’s what makes him a good leader.”

And Kmet, 24, believes his game is still in development, believing he can improve in all facets.

He said he doesn’t set specific season-long numbers goals for himself, preferring to focus on daily goals with coach Jim Dray to fuel his career ascent.

“It’s been up and down just as most NFL careers are,” he said. “I’m still early in mine. I’m still a young guy. I have a long way to go, and I’m excited about that for sure. When you look back at the stuff I was doing my rookie year, I look like an idiot out there at times, ya know? But it’s cool to see the progression and where things are going. I’ve seen the improvement every year and I’m looking to continue to take those steps this coming year and the years beyond.”

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Poles declined to discuss contract extensions Tuesday at his news conference as the Bears reported to training camp, but he clearly had the Kmet deal on his radar. Wide receiver Darnell Mooney, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and wide receiver Chase Claypool are other players who could be considered for extensions.

But the Bears may be in wait-and-see mode on one or two of those. Mooney was limited in practice Wednesday as he is ramping up while coming off left ankle surgery, and Claypool is working to make a bigger impact in his first full season with the Bears.

“I’ve always told myself that I wanted to be that guy that I’m not a risk. I’m that guy you can count on. You don’t have to worry about me doing my job,” Mooney said. “If that (a contract) is something they want to do, that’s something they want to do. I’m a professional at football. I don’t really do contracts. That’s what I’ve got an agent for.”