Former Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet began to break out for the Chicago Bears on Thursday night. Now it seems there’s a better-than-average chance he could be out for quite some time.
With 5:46 to play in the fourth quarter, Kmet caught an 8-yard pass from Caleb Williams and took a hard hit while running up the Bears' sideline. The tight end collided with Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez and linebacker Robert Spillane, then grabbed his knee while on the ground.
Kmet got up with help from trainers but couldn't put weight on his right leg. He gave the crowd at Soldier Field a thumbs-up as they carted him back to the locker room, where they quickly ruled him out for the rest of the game. After the game, the Bears made it clear that the prognosis wasn’t great.
"I don't think it looked very good," Head coach Ben Johnson said during his postgame press conference.
Kmet’s quarterback, Caleb Williams, was equally concerned after watching him get carted off the field in a way similar to how the QB was a few weeks ago. Williams suffered a hamstring injury and was carted off the field on September 20. Thursday was his second game back from that injury.
From @GMFB: The #Bears appear to have lost TE Cole Kmet, who will undergo tests today following a non-contact knee injury. pic.twitter.com/LLJckIwYjD
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 23, 2026
Caleb Williams voices support for former Notre Dame football star Cole Kmet
"It was tough," Williams said. "I don't know exactly what it is and all of that, but obviously being carted off is never good. You're at least going to miss some time.
The star quarterback then talked about Kmet as a leader of the team, which means a lot to the Bears and to him personally.
“I don't have the words to describe what Cole is to me, what Cole is to this team, this organization. He's the longest-tenured Bear, I believe. And so he's been through it, and it's challenging, it's tough and I'll be with him. I'll be right there with him through every step of whatever the injury is. And Cole's been there for me every step of the way through the first year, the second year and now through this year. I could only do the same for him."
Kmet joined the Bears as a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Notre Dame. He was Chicago’s key tight end target for several years but lost some of that role to fellow tight end Colston Loveland this season. Entering Thursday night’s game, he had just 7 catches, but before the injury, he’d already caught 3 passes for 28 yards against the England Patriots.
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