Chicago Bears set to pay eye watering salary for TEs after surprise Colston Loveland pick

The Chicago Bears shocked the NFL world by selecting tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 draft. With Cole Kmet already on their roster, the Bears now have two intriguing pass catchers at the tight end position.

Chicago selected Loveland despite fellow tight end Tyler Warren – who many believed to be the consensus top option – still being on the board. As Ben Johnson steps into his new role as head coach, he clearly believes Loveland is a better fit for the offense. But now, Chicago is paying a premium price for their tight end duo.

Kmet is set to count for nearly $12 million against the cap in 2025. And once Loveland signs his rookie deal, he’ll be making nearly $30 million over his first four years with the team, via Spotrac.

As the #10 overall pick, TE Colston Loveland’s #Bears contract should come in around

– 4 years, $26.6M
– $16M signing bonus
– fully guaranteed
– 2029 5th-year optionhttps://t.co/T0EwSXr9ZB

— Spotrac (@spotrac) April 25, 2025

Colston Loveland, Cole Kmet form Chicago Bears tandem 

Loveland spent three years at Michigan, appearing in 39 games. The tight end caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. Loveland won a national championship with Michigan in 2023, setting a new career-high with 649 yards. In 2024, the tight end set new career-bests in receptions (56) and touchdowns (five) while earning Second-team All-American honors.

Loveland brings a different level of athleticism to the tight end position. Furthermore, he offers Williams a key safety blanket in the middle of the field if DJ Moore and Rome Odunze are covered. Loveland proved he can make a big play whenever he has the ball in open space. Johnson helped Sam LaPorta become an elite tight end with the Detroit Lions. And as LaPorta enters the NFL, he received a comparison to LaPorta from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein.

But the Bears won’t soon forget about Kmet. He is coming off of a down season, but so is everyone in Chicago’s offense. Kmet set a new career-high with seven touchdowns in 2022 before putting up a career-best 719 yards, with another six touchdowns in 2023. Kmet is still a dangerous threat in the red zone and will remain a valuable part of the passing attack.

Loveland’s selection shows that Johnson plans to run plenty of 12 personnel in Chicago. He was known for his double tight end attack in Detroit. Now, the Bears are hoping Loveland and Kmet give the offense a dynamic force not many other offenses in the league possess.

But Chicago will certainly be paying a premium. The team is getting some flack for using the No. 10 overall pick on Loveland. But the Bears can quiet the doubters quickly if the tight end becomes a force in Johnson’s offense.