One of the positions that the Patriots need to upgrade this offseason that isn't getting talked about nearly as much as it should is tight end. They have a solid veteran leading the show in Hunter Henry, but beyond him, there is no depth, especially since Austin Hooper is headed for free agency in a few weeks.
There's a good chance they'll use a draft pick this year to take a young player for Henry to mentor, and maybe even a free agent they'll consider. But there are also a few potentially available tight ends they could trade for, one of whom is Bears' Cole Kmet.
Although he hasn't been made available by Chicago, Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report believes he could be moved for the right price. He suggests the Panthers trade a 2026 fifth-round pick to acquire Kmet, and if that's the kind of offer it would take to get Kmet on the Patriots, there's no reason they shouldn't get on the phone with an offer.
At just 26-years-old, he would be the perfect pairing for Henry, while giving Drake Maye another reliable option on game day.
Cole Kmet should be a player the Patriots consider trading for this offseason
Because the Bears appear to have hit the jackpot when they selected Colston Loveland in last year's draft, there's a good chance that they'll be willing to move Kmet this offseason, at least according to Ballentine.
It makes sense for a team with a quarterback still on a rookie contract, and for the right price, they could be willing to prioritize stacking draft picks to add more talent for Caleb Williams to work with for a long time coming.
Kmet is under contract through the 2027 season, and whether the Bears decide to trade him before June 1 or with a post-June 1 designation, they wouldn't take on too much dead cap and would still save at least $8 million.
He's exactly the kind of player the Patriots will likely be looking for, and although he doesn't put up numbers like a Rob Gronkowski, he's reliable, as he's only missed two games in his six-year career, and he consistently performs at the level his team needs.
If he's given a more prominent role in an offense, like he would be in New England, we could see his best season yet, and as of right now, that was in 2023 when he logged over 700 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
He's, at the very least, someone the Patriots should seriously consider if he's officially made available or not. Tight end has been a weak spot on the roster basically since Gronkowski left the team, and it's about time they finally address it with a young player with a lot of potential.