One of the team’s longest-tenured players, kicker Cairo Santos has been a key contributor for the Chicago Bears since joining them for a second stint in August of 2020.
Now 33, Santos is coming off a 2024 campaign that saw him make 84% of his field goal attempts (21-of-25 from 50+ yards), his lowest percentage since re-joining them.
Windy City Gridiron’s Aaron Leming thinks Santos’ contract coupled with his limitations from distance could make him a cut candidate after the 2025 season.
“Distance has been an issue since his return from the injury that ultimately led to his ouster in Kansas City, in favor of Harrison Butker,” Leming wrote on June 19, adding:
“Although Santos has a career-long streak of 55 yards, he struggles from beyond 50 yards when the weather starts to cool down. That could be an issue for an aspiring playoff team that plays primarily outdoors. That’s not to diminish how good he’s been from within 40 yards, but distance plays a big part in today’s kicking game. With two years remaining on his contract, the quest to prove he can still perform at a high level begins in 2025.”
Santos Is Entering Year 12 in the NFL
GettyChicago Bears veteran kicker Cairo Santos has been labeled a cut candidate for 2026.
Santos began his NFL career after going undrafted out of Tulane in 2014, where he’d won the prestigious Lou Groza Award. Signed by the Kansas City Chiefs, he beat out veteran Ryan Succop and became the first Brazil-born player to appear in an NFL regular season game.
After three and a half seasons in Kansas City, Santos landed with the Bears for his first stint in 2017. He appeared in just two games that year before later before getting released.
He re-joined the Bears in August 2020, and set franchise records that year, converting 27 straight field goals and finishing the season 30-for-32 with a 93.8% success rate.
Santos maintained his accuracy in 2022 and 2023, earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in November 2022, and locking in a new deal through 2027—a four-year extension worth $15.6 million with $9.5 million guaranteed. He continued delivering critical kicks into 2024, including a 51-yard game-winner against the rival Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field to close out the season.
More on Why Kicker Cairo Santos Is a Cut Candidate for the Chicago Bears
Santos’s career-long field goal remains 55 yards, set in 2020. He has no makes beyond that distance. While solid and accurate from 40–49 yards, since joining the team in 2020, he’s 21-27 on kicks over 50 yards. Leming makes a good point when he notes new Bears head coach Ben Johnson may want a kicker with a bigger leg.
“Lack of range and age are two significant factors that will impact Santos moving forward,” Leming noted, adding:
“We’ve seen a particular variance in kickers each year, but he’ll be 34 halfway through the season, and there are plenty of reasons to wonder how effective he’ll continue to be in longer kick situations. Assuming the Bears can secure a playoff spot, range will become a factor in January, when it’s much colder than it would be in September or October. We’ll see how long of a leash Johnson and his staff give the veteran.”
In their prime, kickers like Justin Tucker (66-yard career long) or Matt Prater (64 yards and NFL record holder for 50+ yard makes) regularly converted from 60+ yards. Santos is generally money within 50 yards and has been clutch under pressure, but his range ceiling doesn’t match what other kickers in the league have been and continue to be capable of.
If he literally comes up short in a big game this coming season, it could spell trouble.
