Photo courtesy: Chicago Bears
The Chicago Bears have signed Canadian tight end Nikola Kalinic and Canadian offensive lineman Kyle Hergel to futures contracts.
Kalinic dressed for two regular-season games with Chicago in 2025, recording three total tackles. He remained on the active roster for the playoffs, including the team’s 31-27 win over the Green Bay Packers and 20-17 overtime loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
The six-foot-four, 248-pounder was signed to the team’s practice roster in August following his release from the Atlanta Falcons.
The native of Toronto, Ont. spent most of the past two seasons on the practice roster with the Los Angeles Rams, dressing for two games in 2024 and playing 28 snaps on special teams. He signed with the Falcons as a free agent in January but was waived at the conclusion of training camp.
Kalinic first broke into the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts in 2022. He dressed for seven regular-season games with the team and made two starts, playing 47 snaps on offence and 42 snaps on special teams. He returned one kickoff for 15 yards.
The 29-year-old was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the second round of the 2019 CFL Draft out of York University. He dressed for 30 games over two seasons with the Tiger-Cats, registering 23 receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns.
Kalinic played 31 collegiate games with the York Lions, notching 38 receptions for 416 yards and two touchdowns. He became the first player in school history to be named an OUA all-star twice in one season — once on offence and once on special teams.
Hergel signed with the team’s practice roster in November and remained there until the team was eliminated from postseason contention.
The native of Toronto, Ont. signed with the New Orleans Saints after going unselected in the 2024 NFL Draft. He dressed for eight regular-season games with the team and played 45 offensive snaps and 26 special teams snaps, though he was waived at the conclusion of training camp in 2025.
The six-foot-three, 302-pound blocker played his final collegiate season at Boston College in 2023 where he was named an All-ACC honourable mention at guard. He spent the two previous seasons at Texas State where he was named third-team All-Sun Belt in 2022.
The 26-year-old started his collegiate career at the University of North Dakota where he was named the FCS Independent Newcomer of the Year in 2019. Over 54 career collegiate starts, he allowed five sacks and 32 pressures on 1,774 pass-blocking snaps.
Hergel’s exclusive CFL rights belong to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, who selected him in the first round of the 2024 CFL Draft.