FREE AGENCY DEAL: Top free agent targets at tight end for Chicago Bears in 2024

Next on our list of the Chicago Bears’ 2024 free agency options is the tight end position.

Cole Kmet, the top tight end in Chicago, has finished his best season in a four-year career. Before the season began, Kmet signed a four-year, $50 million contract deal, which appears to be yet another brilliant decision from general manager Ryan Poles. Kmet has never missed a game in his professional career. Kmet ended up with 73 receptions on 90 targets for 719 yards (9.8 yards per grab) and 6 touchdowns in 17 games.

Kmet played alongside two former Green Bay Packers for the Bears last season. Since Luke Getsy is no longer with the organization, it wouldn’t be shocking to see them go elsewhere for offensive coordinator support. Robert Tonyan and Marcedes Lewis were both familiar with Getsy’s approach.

Lewis only caught four receptions for 29 yards and a touchdown last season, while Tonyan had 11 catches and 112 receiving yards (10.2 yards per catch). Tonyan played as the “U,” or move tight end, but Lewis’ primary role as a blocker is setting the edges, at which he excels. These two players are extremely different from each other. Who will make a comeback in 2024? It is conceivable. The tight ends that should be available in free agency this year are the ones we’ll look at.
C.J. Stroud, the rookie quarterback for the Texans, found a consistent target in the 6-foot-5, 244-pound tight end, who caught 59 passes for 635 yards (10.8 yards per reception) and five touchdowns. He averaged 4.3 yards after the catch, according to PFF. Quarterbacks who targeted him had a passer rating of 102.0. Although Schultz isn’t exactly Marceledes Lewis, he is a reliable run blocker who can also contribute to the run game. With a lifetime catch percentage of 69.4, he also possesses excellent hands.

Money is the main problem with Schultz. PFF’s estimate, at $11 million annually, is extremely close to Spotrac’s anticipated market worth of $11.3 million. The Bears probably won’t want to spend more than $10 million a year on another tight end, given their other needs. Though unlikely, it is conceivable.
This year, Chicago may consider Noah Fant to be among their top tight end targets available in free agency. Fant has shown remarkable durability over his NFL career, much like Kmet. He has only missed three games in the last five years. Originally selected out of Iowa in the first round by the Denver Broncos (20th overall) in 2019, Fant hasn’t exactly lived up to his first-round credentials. Not yet, at least. He’s still a good choice at TE2, though.

Towards the end of the previous season, he celebrated his 26th birthday, and he remains a capable playmaker. In 2020 and 2021, he recorded over 90 receptions and 670 yards; however, in the last few seasons, his output has somewhat decreased.

Over the previous two seasons in Seattle, he collaborated with new Bears offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, and he averaged over 400 receiving yards per year. In 2023, the 6-foot-4, 250-pound Fant saw a particularly poor season, setting career lows in receiving yards (414), catches (32) and targets (43). He didn’t catch a touchdown for the first time in his five years in the NFL.

Fant has excellent hands (71.0 career catch percentage) and has only fumbled once in 81 career games, despite the poor year. It would not surprise me if Chicago gave him a look in the offseason.
Hunter Henry is another NFL veteran with eight years of experience who will be available in free agency. The Chargers selected Henry, 29, in the second round of the 2016 draft. He had a strong first two seasons, but he missed the entire 2018 season after tearing his ACL during OTAs. But he made a strong return.

2019 was one of Henry’s best seasons; it was the year after his ACL tear. After recovering from the injury, he caught 55 passes for 652 yards and 5 touchdowns in his first season back, and he has been extremely prolific ever since. Henry played for the Chargers for five years before spending the last three with the New England Patriots. Over the previous three seasons with the Pats, he had caught 17 touchdowns; however, in 2023, a knee ailment kept him out of three games. Henry finished the previous season with 14 games played (10 starts), 42 receptions on 61 targets for 419 yards (10.1 yards per catch), and 6 touchdowns. Although he only averaged 1.9 yards after the catch last season, he is a dependable and seasoned veteran. He has averaged 3.3 yards after the catch over the previous five seasons.

Henry won’t break the bank, according to Spotrac, which projects his market value at $7.5 million. Additionally, he is a flexible target that may deal just as much damage in the slot or in line.
Gerald Everett, a seasoned tight end, should also be a free agent this year. Everett was a second-round pick of the Los Angeles Rams in 2017; he played for the Rams for four seasons before spending one season in Seattle in 2021. He played well for the Chargers throughout his two seasons there.

In 2022, he had his greatest season to date, catching 58 catches for 555 yards and four touchdowns—all career highs. He caught 51 passes for 411 yards (8.1 yards per catch) and three touchdowns in 15 games (12 starts) for the Los Angeles Rams last season.

Though not the fastest tight end in the game, 6-foot-3, 250-pound Everett is a beast who has averaged 5.2 yards after the catch in his career. He will turn 30 in June. Because he has never missed more than three games in any of his six seasons, he also receives durability points. His game is very versatile because he can line up in line, from the slot, or out wide with equal effectiveness.

With just 19 touchdown receptions in 107 career games, he hasn’t done nearly as much damage in the red zone as a player his stature probably should. With Spotrac’s estimated market value of $8.6 million, Chicago might search for less expensive alternatives.
For the Bears, Mike Gesicki might be a compelling tight end option. Gesicki recently completed a single season with the New England Patriots, following five seasons with the Miami Dolphins. It wasn’t a very fruitful one, and he ought to start over. Gesicki caught 29 catches for 244 yards (8.4 yards per grab) and two scores in 17 games with the Patriots the previous season. His statistics mostly represent what can only be characterized as New England’s awful quarterback predicament.

Gesicki, who stands 6-foot-6 and weighs 245 pounds, is possibly the most versatile tight end available in the free agent class. Since he can align himself anywhere, he truly is a wide receiver. He has taken 1,615 snaps while lined up in the slot, 545 snaps while lined up out wide, and 489 snaps while inline throughout his six years in the league.

With the Dolphins, he was also highly effective, especially in 2020 and 2021, when he averaged over 700 receiving yards per season and eight touchdown catches.

Gesicki, another dependable tight end, has only missed one game in his NFL career. He ought to be a highly economical choice as well, partly because of his 2023 down year. Based on projections from PFF, he might sign a $2 million, one-year deal that ends up being a good value for his services.
Austin Hawkins

Hooper, 29, is a seasoned veteran who has made 122 appearances and 68 starts. He caught 25 catches on 31 targets for 234 yards in 17 Raiders games last season. In Hooper’s eight-year career, this was the first time he has failed to score a touchdown. While with the Atlanta Falcons, Hooper was selected to the Pro Bowl twice, in 2018 and 2019. Although his playing days are gone, he is still a reliable veteran option.

Adam Trautmann

Lately, Trautman turned 27. The Saints selected him in the third round of the 2020 NFL Draft, but he hasn’t lived up to the high expectations for a devastating red zone threat. Following his trade to the Broncos in 2023, he appeared in 17 games (12 starts) for Denver, accumulating 204 yards and three touchdowns on 22 receptions. In 60 career games during his four years in the league, he has seven touchdowns. Nevertheless, he should be inexpensive and has proven to be rather robust.

Anthony Robert/Leslie Marcellus

Tonyan or Lewis, or both, might return for the Bears, but neither is a lock. As Luke Getsy did, it’s reasonable to believe that Shane Waldron, the new offensive coordinator, would like to add guys with whom he has a relationship. Still, having Lewis return to aid in the run game might not be a bad idea.