Bears tight end Cole Kmet is set to add wedding planning to his preseason agenda.
The former second-round draft pick announced his engagement to girlfriend Emily Jarosz on Monday, just days before veterans report for training camp.
In his Instagram post, which included a ring emoji, one picture prominently featured Jarosz’s stunning oval-cut engagement ring, while another captured Kmet smiling next to his fiancée.
Kmet’s sister Frankie, who is in a relationship with second-year Packers defensive end Lukas Van Ness, also took to social media to celebrate the engagement news.
“After 22 years, I am finally getting a sister, and it’s the best one I could ask for,” Frankie posted on her Instagram page.
Kmet, 25, and Jarosz have been together for several years, with Instagram posts of the couple dating back to 2017, when he was playing for Notre Dame.
He spent three seasons with the Fighting Irish before being selected by the Bears with the 43rd overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Kmet is coming off a standout season in Chicago, where he achieved career highs with 73 receptions and 719 receiving yards over 17 games. Before the start of the 2023 season, Kmet signed a four-year, $50 million contract extension.
The Bears, who finished the previous season with a 7-10 record, are entering a new phase at quarterback with the addition of prized rookie Caleb Williams, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Williams, now starting after the March trade of quarterback Justin Fields to the Steelers, has already impressed Kmet during the offseason.
“He’s really just a normal dude,” Kmet said in June on SiriusXM NFL Radio, according to Pro Football Talk. “Really good kid.
Ultra-competitive, and you can see why he’s been so successful thus far in his football career and why he has those types of intangibles to succeed in the NFL.
I’m really excited for him. He’s been putting in a lot of work, and you can see the progress he was making throughout the OTA period.”
Rookies, including the newly signed Williams, reported to training camp on Tuesday, while Kmet is scheduled to report on Friday with the veterans. The Bears will face the Titans in Week 1 of the regular season.