Cole Kmet lost his quarterback, man.
The Bears tight end revealed he skipped partaking in St. Patrick’s Day festivities Saturday after learning from head coach Matt Eberflus that Chicago had traded Justin Fields to the Steelers.
“I was planning to hit the city and go out, but then I got a call from Flus and the people with the Bears, and decided to stay in after the news with Justin,” Kmet said on the “CHGO Bears Podcast,” as transcribed by The Spun.
“Obviously, really upsetting that it came to that, and where it was at that moment, but you kind of felt like the writing was on the wall with that.”
While it was a foregone conclusion that Fields would be traded with the Bears owning the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and reportedly having their eyes on USC quarterback Caleb Williams, that doesn’t take away from the human element of players watching their teammates — and sometimes friends — going elsewhere.
Kmet, a 2020 second-round pick, had played with Fields, a 2021 first-round pick, for the past three seasons and produced solid seasons receiving passes from the former Ohio State product.
He caught a career-high 73 passes for a career-best 719 yards and six touchdowns this past season.
Kmet will now attempt to produce similar numbers while catching passes from the Bears’ future quarterback after the team traded Fields to Pittsburgh for a conditional sixth-round pick that can become a fourth-round selection based on playing time.
While disappointed, Kmet did say it was “classy” for Eberflus to give him a heads-up.
He’s excited for the Bears’ new-look future, which now includes a major trade acquisition in former Chargers receiver Keenan Allen.
“I still think, really exciting times for the Bears here,” Kmet said on the podcast. “This is really exciting times and with whatever rookie they decide to go with, looks like that’s the direction that it’s going, what a great opportunity. What a great opportunity for a young kid to come in here with an infrastructure in place and be ready to go win football games from the get-go.”
