NEWSLETTER
There appears to be a Cole Kmet extension ripple effect. In case you missed it because you were napping during the first week of training camp, Kmet became the first Chicago Bears player to receive an extension from General Manager Ryan Poles. But will he be the last?
We’ve kicked around the idea of receiver Darnell Mooney and cornerback Jaylon Johnson getting new deals from the Bears. Johnson has been vocal about wanting to get a deal done. Meanwhile, a Mooney extension has been something we’ve been discussing for a little more than a year now. Heck, we can add defensive end Trevis Gipson to the list of Bears’ extension candidates because of his unique situation. And while we haven’t gone down the Chase Claypool rabbit hole just yet, we will in due time.
But first, it was Kmet re-igniting the extension chatter. Not just because his deal was the first to get done. But also because it got the ball rolling on several adjacent thoughts. It might not have popped up in a big way, but the Kmet extension has a pretty neat trickle-down effect. Let’s discuss.
How Kmet’s extension impacts the locker room
One thing I’ve been banging the drum on going on two years now is the idea that an extension of a home-grown player who was *NOT* chosen by the Poles regime would send a positive message to the locker room. And for what it’s worth, Poles seems to think that happens to have brought some extra juice into the locker room:
“I do think it energizes the locker room, especially this being my first extension, it sends a good message,” Poles said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I think everyone knows me, what I stand for, what I believe in in terms of taking care of your players. But there is always action that needs to come behind words. So I do think it helps the locker room see that ‘Alright if I continue to do what I’m doing, there’s a chance I can be in that mix.’ I think that’s always positive.”
After watching Poles fail to extend popular players such as linebacker Roquan Smith (who was subsequently sent to Baltimore in a trade deadline deal) and David Montgomery (who left in free agency), I bet players in the locker room see the Kmet extension and realize that they can get theirs even if they weren’t a hand-picked Poles player. As someone who has worked through regime changes in the past, I feel as if I can vouch for the positive vibes that come when new bosses like you.
Chicago Bears salary cap update
All salary cap numbers via OverTheCap.com.
Some extensions are done so teams can create salary cap space. The Cole Kmet extension is not one of those extensions. In fact, Brad Spielberger (Pro Football Focus) reports the Bears will *LOSE* $3.6 million in cap space for the 2023 season. No harm no foul, right?
As of Monday morning, the Bears have $28,363,856 in available space under the 2023 NFL salary cap. It is the most in the league, with the Cardinals ($24.196M), Panthers ($20.524M), Cowboys ($19.668M), and Bengals ($19.468M) rounding out the top five. And because I know you’re curious, it is worth noting that the Bears are currently $84,978,558 under the 2024 projected base salary cap of $256 million. Only the Patriots ($107.005M) and Texans ($94.483M) are slated to have more.
An adjacent nugget via PFF Brad: The Bears still have about $25 million to spend to meet the league’s minimum spending thresholds. They will have until the start of the 2024 new league year in March to make it happen. Sure, the Kmet extension chips into the big number, but there is still work to do.
