Drafting Sam Roush in the 3rd round was not what anybody expected from the Chicago Bears. Taking a tight end that high when you already have two who are capable of starting didn’t make logistical sense. Sure, head coach Ben Johnson likes to run lots of “12” and “13” personnel, but one would think you can find a plenty serviceable third tight end in the later rounds. The Bears made it clear their decision was purely based on football reasons. Roush was arguably the best blocker in the draft and had enough athletic upside to be a threat in the pass game as well.
That is fair. Experts validated the assessment in the days following the pick. While the need might not have been there, there was no question that the Bears got a good football player. It will just be on Johnson to ensure Roush, Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet are juggled properly. That said, it is possible there was another motivation for the move. One that was less football and more business-related. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN revealed that belief inside the league is that tight end contracts are about to explode, and it appears the Bears moved to get ahead of it by stacking their roster with young, cheap talent.
“One sneaky position to watch is tight end. Wide receivers make double what tight ends do despite the position’s increasing prominence. Detroit’s Sam LaPorta and Green Bay’s Tucker Kraft are eligible for extensions now, and they could push to be among the highest paid at the position (at least $19 million per year). Blocking tight ends now make $8 million per year in free agency. Expect that number to rise. Day 2 of the draft reminded us how starved offenses are for good blockers to feature in their two- and three-tight-end sets. And by the spring, Las Vegas’ Brock Bowers will be eligible for an extension.”
Drafting Sam Roush makes even more sense now.
Part of running a successful organization is having one eye on the future at all times. There is a strong probability that Bears general manager Ryan Poles knew the tight end market was shifting after Cardinals standout Trey McBridge got a massive $19 million per year extension. If he gets something like that, you can probably imagine what awaits ascending talents like Brock Bowers and Tucker Kraft in the near future. One or both could crack $20 million per year.
| Rank | Player | Team | Average Annual Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | George Kittle | San Francisco 49ers | $19.100 Million |
| 2 | Trey McBride | Arizona Cardinals | $19.000 Million |
| 3 | Kyle Pitts | Atlanta Falcons | $15.045 Million |
| 4 | Isaiah Likely | New York Giants | $13.333 Million |
| 5 | Mark Andrews | Baltimore Ravens | $13.089 Million |
Now look at it from the Bears’ perspective. They have two massive contracts they’re preparing to hand out on offense. One will go to right tackle Darnell Wright, and the other will go to quarterback Caleb Williams. It is quite possible that the team may have to sacrifice some other guys on the payroll to accomplish this. An obvious name would be Kmet, which would be a brutal loss. Still, by drafting Sam Roush, they have two rookie contracts in place that should be affordable over the next four years, allowing the Bears to remain cap flexible.
🔥 Subscribe to the Untold Chicago YouTube channel to hear Chicago legends tell stories you’ve never seen in headlines — real moments, real experiences, straight from the athletes themselves.
The Bears continue to show their forward-thinking.
Not only was Roush a strong pick to help the Bears lean into one of the NFL’s dominating trends, but it was also their way of remaining as financially responsible as they can. Time will tell if this was a good draft pick. We need to see him on the field. However, you can’t argue it was a smart draft pick. The Bears accomplished multiple goals at once with it. If Roush turns out to be a quality player, even better. Having so many people swear by him offers plenty of confidence.
Right now, Kmet has two years left on his current deal. The Bears won’t move him this year. They have no reason to. In 2027, that topic gets more interesting. They would receive $10 million in additional cap space by cutting or trading him. He’d only be 28 years old, so the latter would certainly be possible. Other teams might be eager to secure a tight end in his prime at that price and with those skills. At the same time, the Bears will likely be starting the process of extending Loveland while Roush prepares to take over Kmet’s duties.
There is no telling if that’s the actual plan, but it’s trending that way based on the information available.
