Bears general manager Ryan Poles had a player approach him Thursday, one day after he gave tight end Cole Kmet a four-year, $50 million contract extension.
“[He] said, ‘Hey, you sent a ton of energy through the locker room because you guys are taking care of the guys in there,’” he said. “And it was really cool.”
That’s a common benefit of retaining a team’s own draft picks, something that hasn’t happened at Halas Hall very often. Kmet is the first Bears player to whom Poles has given a multi-year contract extension since he took the Bears job a year-and-a-half ago.
“He embodies everything we look for in a Bear,” Poles said. “Hard work, dedication, how he handles himself in the locker room. He’s a true professional.”
He still has room to grow.
“Any time you give an extension, your expectation is obviously that you’re rewarding what he’s done but where he’s going as well,” he said. “We think he’s on the right track to continue to grow and become a good player.”
