The Chicago Bears are $10 million over the salary cap. First, they must find a way to become cap-compliant before the new league year begins on March 11th. Then they must create enough space to actually do business. That might require some uncomfortable moves in the near future. It’s already anticipated that they will release linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, which would bring $15 million in relief. Some wonder if tight end Cole Kmet might be another consideration as well.

Though his productivity dipped in 2026, the former 2nd round pick showcased his continued value with excellent blocking and two of the most clutch plays of the season with his touchdowns against Philadelphia and Los Angeles. Teammates love him. Coaches love him. He’s become a trusted voice inside the locker room. Still, releasing him would net another $8.4 million. They have Colston Loveland in place. Maybe this is a sacrifice they have to make. Fortunately, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune thinks the Bears have something else in mind.

“Kmet is signed through 2027. He has a $8.9 million base salary with a $1 million roster bonus (due the fifth day of the league year) and a $100,000 workout bonus for each of the next two seasons. So that’s $20 million total. His cap hit is $11.6 million for each season, and there’s no guaranteed money remaining in the deal.

I think an extension for Kmet would be likelier than the Bears trading him when you consider how significant tight ends are to Ben Johnson’s offense. The Bears could extend Kmet’s contract with a goal of reducing his cap figure for this season, but they also would have to see him being a significant part of the offense in 2028 and maybe 2029.”

Extending Cole Kmet makes sense if the money is right.

With Loveland likely to command the bulk of pass targets moving forward, the Bears must be careful about how much they’re willing to pay Kmet. Conversely, he might be wary about an extension because he could receive more from other teams that badly need tight end help. Much of this idea hinges on how much Kmet wants to stay in Chicago. It’s his home, and he’s already made really good money to this point. He also has a clear role in Ben Johnson’s offense, even if it isn’t as a regular pass catcher.

Cole Kmet is a hometown kid. It was his dream to play for the Bears, and he has been living it. He just got his first taste of real success in 2025. Johnson is building something here. Perhaps he’d be willing to take a discount to stick around. Besides, he’d be under contract until his 30th birthday. Lots of players wish they had that kind of long-term security. Primarily blocking tight ends make around $7 million per year in the NFL right now. Given Kmet’s value as a receiver, that seems like a favorable number to start with.

There is no reason to think Kmet can’t contribute long-term.

That is the primary reason for doing an extension. He already proved he can be valuable in Johnson’s offense. If Loveland ever gets hurt, they’d have him ready and able to step into the primary tight end role. One of the problems with teams is that they never work to keep good tight end pairs together. You’ll find the best ones weren’t for longer than a couple of years. Keeping Cole Kmet and Loveland together could give Chicago the best tight end tandem in NFL history. That is another reason for the extension.

We’ll see how the Bears approach it. Will Kmet be receptive to the idea? He has no more guaranteed money left on his current deal. How much the team is willing to offer in an extension will probably play a big part in negotiations. If things go as hoped, the Bears will secure a key part of their offense into his 30s and clear extra cap space to help make the roster better this season.

Caleb Williams had been a star for a long time. He thought he knew what football fans were like. The first taste came in high school, when he built a following in Washington, D.C., at the helm of his championship team. Then he got a taste of two blue-blood fandoms at Oklahoma and USC. Both were outspoken and passionate. Williams thought those experiences prepared him for what to expect from Chicago Bears fans when he arrived as the #1 overall pick in 2024. He couldn’t have been more wrong.

That first year didn’t show him much. The Bears got off to a good start but completely fell apart after their bye week, losing ten in a row. Fans did nothing other than voice their displeasure with the coaching staff, who were quickly purged after the season. Everything changed last year. Ben Johnson’s arrival kick-started a turnaround that saw the Bears go 11-6 and win the division. As the success grew, fans became more invested and more excited. Everything culminated in one of the most electric atmospheres Williams has ever experienced in the playoffs at Soldier Field.

He admitted on Maxx Crosby’s podcast that it completely changed his perspective on the city.

Caleb Williams has awoken a sleeping giant.

Bears fans have always been crazy about their team. Keep in mind, this group of people showed up to the Super Bowl parade in January of 1986 in excess of 500,000 despite the weather being 30 degrees below zero. They have been begging the organization to put a winner on the field so they can finally demonstrate how incredible they are at creating unforgettable sports atmospheres. The fact it happened thanks to a young quarterback only makes the entire process that much sweet.

Remember, that position has haunted the Bears forever. They hadn’t had a true franchise quarterback since the end of World War II. Jim McMahon was a tremendous leader in the 1980s, but his career never really took off due to injuries. Jay Cutler had the talent and toughness, but was too inconsistent. Williams is the first player to display the durability and play-making wizardry to carry his team to victory every week. As a result, you saw home game attendance creep up over the course of the season. Bears fans were starting to believe.

Williams has a chance to turn Chicago into a weapon.

Bears fans have always been a vocal crowd. However, they haven’t really taken over games in the past, either due to apathy or a lack of belief that the team was capable of going all the way. Caleb Williams could change that. His ability to bring the Bears back from the brink of defeat has instilled a confidence in fans that hasn’t been there in decades. They’re starting to believe this team always has a chance. When you see that happen in any sport, the volume always crowds inside that stadium.

Opponents will find it more and more hostile, making it difficult to execute on offense, both because of the noise and the juice it gives the Bears’ defense. Williams, by contrast, will operate in mostly quiet conditions, able to execute the offense at will. Not only that, but Bears fans have always travelled well. They are certain to take over stadiums across the league, eager to see their quarterback. What Williams experienced in January is probably just a taste of things to come.

Sports Mockery reported not too long ago that tensions were rising inside Halas Hall. They stemmed from ownership, particularly George McCaskey, who was growing increasingly frustrated with team president Kevin Warren over his handling of negotiations for the new stadium. McCaskey has been led to believe the executive was an expert on getting stadiums built from his time in Minnesota. However, it has become clearer with each passing day that Warren’s reach exceeds his grasp.

Things were already on uncertain ground when the Bears president kept pivoting directions, going from Arlington Heights to downtown Chicago, back to Arlington Heights, and now flirting with the idea of moving to northwest Indiana. That was not something McCaskey wanted. However, he felt compelled to go along with it as the talks with Springfield kept stalling.

Finally, the two sides seemed to be gaining momentum towards a deal that would finally give the Bears infrastructure help and property tax certainty. Then Thursday happened. It started with the megaprojects bill hearing on the House floor being cancelled. Shortly after, the Bears released a statement applauding Indiana for passing a bill intended to help fund the construction of a new stadium district, most likely in Hammond.

The public statement caught Springfield by surprise, and many viewed it as a tasteless move by Warren. According to former sports journalist George Ofman, so did McCaskey.

Common sense once again eluded Kevin Warren.

It’s become apparent for some time that the Bears president is exceedingly tone-deaf when it comes to such matters. He constantly releases statments on the stadium at odd times, such as during the lead-up to the Bears highly-anticipated playoff clash with the Green Bay Packers. Before that, he went on national television and plugged the stadium subject like some wrestling promoter trying to create buzz for a pay-per-view. The guy has no concept of how to handle the media narrative, and it’s made him look like a bumbling fool.

Now he’s finally at the doorstep of a deal. The Bears have a route to infrastructure funding and property tax incentives. All he has to do is get it over the finish line in the legislature. Governor J.B. Pritzker is finally on board to make a deal. Then Kevin Warren fumbles the ball again, nixing the hearing and putting his foot in his mouth at the same time. This created a media firestorm that left the organization looking chaotic. Nothing Warren has done to this point comes across as competant.

Warren should be grateful the Bears had a winning season last year.

If not for head coach Ben Johnson’s instant success, there is a real possibility the president might’ve gotten fired for the series of setbacks he has overseen in the past year. That playoff victory over Green Bay may have saved his bacon without even realizing it. However, the continued frustration from the McCaskeys puts his job status in question. The longer this saga goes on without a resolution, the more tenous things become. Warren needs a win in the worst way.

Luckily, the bill is set for a new hearing date next week. If it goes through, the last hurdle will be clear. The Bears will get their property tax clarity and be free to negotiate with Arlington Heights on a fair rate. Estimates have it somewhere between $8-10 million. As for Kevin Warren, even if this does get across the finish line, it is fair to wonder whether the McCaskeys decide to keep him around. It’s worth noting that outside of Minnesota, he has never lasted at a job longer than four years, including his run as Big Ten commissioner.

That seems pretty telling.

The Chicago Bears will meet with several draft prospects over the next several weeks. General manager Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson know the stakes. They must put together another strong class as they did in 2025 if they want this team to take the next step. That means nailing their 1st round pick again. Unfortunately, this time it won’t be in the top 10. They hold the 25th overall pick, which presents obvious challenges given their position so late in the order. It means they must be extra sharp with their evaluations to find the right player.

You have the usual approach: interviews, all-star games, scouting combine drills, and extensive interviews. However, another method teams often use that isn’t discussed as much is getting to know players through the team. It’s fair to wonder if the Bears might be doing that. Justin Melo of The Draft Network reported that the Bears were among the teams that met extensively with Missouri center Connor Tollison at the American Bowl. While there is no harm in eyeing more offensive line help, it seems odd they’d focus on a center with Drew Dalman in place.

Ryan Poles’ interest in Tollison might have ulterior motives.

While the Bears GM liking a highly athletic center with extensive experience is nothing new, it’s worth noting that two of Tollison’s teammates are heavy favorites to go early in the draft. Both fit key needs for the Bears. The first is defensive end Zion Young, who just dominated the Senior Bowl and has been mocked to Chicago more than a few times in the 1st round. They need pass rush help and he could be an excellent fit. Then you have linebacker Josiah Trotter, son of four-time Pro Bowler Jeremiah Trotter, who has plenty of experts excited. He’s drawn comparisons to Nick Bolton, who Ryan Poles helped draft in Kansas City.

The Bears will likely need linebacker help by April. Tremaine Edmunds could be cut soon. Noah Sewell is a free agent. T.J. Edwards had his worst season in a Bears uniform last year. Adding Trotter would be an understandable move. Tollison went against both guys in practice for years. If anyone can offer insight into how both operate, it would be the young center. Not to mention, there’s already a player on the roster who might’ve tipped them off to where to look.

Luther Burden is also a valuable asset to the Bears.

He played with Young and Trotter during his time with Missouri as well. There is a strong possibility he gave them a tip to look at both when he arrived in Chicago. Let’s also not forget the program has built a reputation over the past several years for productive, excellent NFL talent. Aldon Smith, Sheldon Richardson, Kony Ealy, and Markus Golden all came out as defensive linemen. Bolton went there as a linebacker. It is a talent pool worth looking into. As always, whatever Tollison has to say could shape how the Bears think either player fits in.

As for the center himself? Early projections have Tollison going somewhere on day three of the draft between the 5th and 7th rounds. While his athleticism is a big highlight of his game, most believe he lacks the size and power preferred. That will make him limited to specific schemes. Luckily, he would fit well in the Bears’ outside-zone system under Ben Johnson. Keep the name in mind this April. If the Bears grab Young or Trotter, we’ll know who gave the seal of approval.