The Chicago Bears and kicker Cairo Santos have agreed to a four year contract extension worth 16 million, keeping him with the team through 2027. Of that money comes 9.5 million guaranteed, according to Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune.
Cairo Santos Agrees To Four-Year Extension with Bears
The move comes after what has been an excellent 2023 season for Santos. On the year, he’s 27/29 for field goals (93.1%) and 24/26 on extra points (92.3%), per Pro Football Reference. The Bears experienced a tumultuous period of special teams mishaps prior to Santos joining the team. After the Cody Parkey and Eddie Pineiro experiences in the 2018-2019 span, consistency was needed.
However, Santos too went through a tough stretch of his career.
Santos’ Journey To An Extension
The Bears kicker spent two games with the team in 2017, making one of two field goals for Chicago after missing one from 50 plus yards out against Philadelphia on November 26th of that year.
Santos was then let go from the team the following week after a 14-15 loss against San Francisco, a day where Santos hit both of his extra points. He would then spend time with the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Tennessee Titans.
With Tennessee in 2019, Santos went 4/9 in field goal attempts, his career worst percentage at 44.4%. However, since reuniting with the Bears in 2020, Santos has been nothing short of excellent, having become the most accurate kicker in franchise history.
Reviving His Career In The Windy City
Santos has hit 90.5% of his field goals compiling his time in Chicago, making 105/116 field goals attempted. He’s also delivered 12 of 17 field goals from 50+ yards out. Pair that with Santos owning a 92.3% point after kick percentage, all according to Pro Football Reference.
The 16 million dollar contract makes Cairo Santos the 13th highest paid kicker in the league, per Over The Cap. In comparison, it places Santos just below Jake Elliot of Philadelphia (4.03M AAV) and above Matt Prater of the Arizona Cardinals (3.75M AAV).
What Does This Mean for the Bears?
The contract is well deserved and locks up a position for the Bears that hasn’t seen this level of consistency since Robbie Gould left the Windy City in 2016, keeping Santos around for the long term.
The extension for Santos also marks the third contract extension General Manager Ryan Poles has delivered in his tenure (tight end Cole Kmet and defensive end Montez Sweat.) Poles has shown he’s willing to hand out contracts to players, aside from the Roquan Smith trade.
While Bears fans celebrate locking up another key player for the franchise, many eyes wander to yet another player deserving a contract extension on this roster. The Bears 2023 season continues, as does an ongoing contract situation between a young premier talent in Jaylon Johnson (24) at the cornerback position and Chicago’s front office.
For now, congratulations to Cairo Santos on receiving a four year, 16 million dollar contract extension after an inspiring career revival that has made him the most accurate kicker in franchise history.
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