We’ve reached the point of the NFL offseason where training camp rosters are fully squared away, aside from maybe some movement with undrafted rookies. It’s also when the trade market is about ready to start booming, as June 1 marks a significant point on the summer calendar.
After 4 p.m. EST on June 1, teams have the option of splitting dead money, or other salary-cap penalties tied to bonuses or guarantees in a player’s contract, into the next league year. It’s a key date for accounting purposes if a player is cut or traded.
In the spirit of the calendar flipping to June, a group of ESPN reporters recently simulated trades for Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson, Bears tight end Cole Kmet, Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman, and Giants pass rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
They didn’t project an offer on any of those four players from GM Andrew Berry and the Cleveland Browns. They definitely should have, so let’s get a little creative.
Insider Dan Graziano believes Chicago could be looking to recoup the 2027 mid-round pick it traded to New England for center Garrett Bradbury earlier this offseason. The Browns just so happen to have three fourth-round selections, as well as multiple picks in Rounds 5 and 7 in that draft.
Graziano projected Kmet’s straight-up value as a third-round pick in 2028.
“A 2027 third-rounder seems a tad rich straight up, and the Bears are short on 2027 middle-rounds picks after the Garrett Bradbury trade. So here they still get a valuable Day 2 pick, just delayed a year.”
The Browns already have the assets to make a Cole Kmet trade happen
Kmet has been a productive tight end for multiple Bears regimes now, including a 2023 season with 73 catches, 719 yards, and six touchdowns. But everything about his current situation in Chicago screams that change is coming.
The Bears spent the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 draft on star Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. This past April, they used pick No. 69 overall on Stanford’s Sam Roush. Kmet also has no guaranteed money left on his contract, despite the team restructuring his deal for cap savings earlier this offseason. His cap hit is scheduled to jump past $15 million in 2027.
Kmet is still only 27, so a team like Cleveland could easily justify a short-term extension to make the money work. If Berry splashes in the trade market this summer, tight end feels like a smart bet. He left the roster extremely thin behind No. 1 starter Harold Fannin Jr., and help could be needed if Day 3 rookies Joe Royer and Carsen Ryan get off to slow starts in training camp.
Berry has become a hoarder of Day 3 draft picks, and that strategy has been serving the Browns well. Prior to the start of the new league year, he sent a fifth-round pick to Houston in exchange for right tackle Tytus Howard. A similar move for Kmet this summer almost makes too much sense for both sides.
Cleveland could get the veteran sidekick it needs to pair with Fannin for the next few years, allowing Royer and Ryan a longer runway to develop. The best part? The Bears have already paid Kmet $10 million of his 2026 salary. If Cleveland acquired him this summer, the team would only be on the hook for $2.35 million, per Spotrac.
Chicago currently holds six 2027 draft picks, and no selection in Round 5 (that pick is now owned by the Patriots). Berry could certainly start the conversation for Kmet at a fifth-rounder, but if ESPN’s projection is correct, a 2027 fourth equates more closely to the 2028 third-round pick that Graziano had him going for.
Cleveland could ship the Bears a fourth-round pick, still have two remaining, and fill a roster need that right now is a Fannin injury away from being a potential disaster. Kmet would fit Monken’s scheme well as a true in-line enforcer. He's the right age, and his price tag feels perfect for the Browns’ current stockpile.
ESPN probably overlooked Cleveland because it was focusing more on 2026 contenders, but the Browns have been active all offseason. There’s no reason for that to change this summer.
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