New contract extensions are flying off the board. A day after Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert broke the bank, now Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet earned an extension. The Bears and Kmet agreed to a four-year extension worth $50 million to keep the Notre Dame product in town, per Adam Schefter of ESPN. This also marks the first extension completed by GM Ryan Poles since he took the job.

‘Another deal: Bears and TE Cole Kmet reached agreement on a four-year, $50 million extension, including $32.8 million guaranteed and $20 million in new first-year cash, per me and @FieldYates.' 

Kmet is entering his fourth season in the NFL after being selected in the second round in 2020. He caught just 28 passes for 243 yards and two scores in his first year. In 2021, Kmet caught 60 passes for 612 yards with zero scores and then became a red-zone target for Justin Fields this past season with seven touchdowns for a team that ranked dead last in the NFL in passing yards per game.

The Bears' offense has a lot of hype despite losing David Montgomery, but adding DJ Moore and bringing back Darnell Mooney and Chase Claypool give Fields a ton of weapons to work with. Now, Kmet is in town for the next four seasons, at least, and has a clear path to being a top-tier tight end.

Last season, with the Bears' run-heavy offensive attack, Cole Kmet led the team in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. But, with Moore in town and Claypool there the whole season this time, it will be a bit more difficult for the tight end to lead the team in those categories once again.