A few weeks after earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November honors, the Chicago Bears have locked up Cairo Santos for the long term.
As first reported by Adam Schefter, the Bears have signed their star kicker to a four-year, $16 million extension.
A former undrafted free agent out of Tulane, Santos is amidst his second stint in Chicago and has been with the Bears since 2020. While Eddy Piñeiro Jr (now of the Carolina Panthers) was the heir apparent to Cody Parkey in the aftermath of the infamous “double-doink,” it’s been Santos who has provided the Bears with a steady hand at the position over the past three seasons.
This is Santos’ second time agreeing to a contract extension with the Bears. In 2021, he signed a three-year contract extension worth $9 million. His proposed contract would currently be tied for 13th (with Graham Gano of the New York Giants) in terms of total value and would rank 11th in average annual salary at the position.
Santos has the longest streak of field goals made from 50+ yards (10). Since 2020, he’s tied for the 5th-best field goal percentage (91.2) among qualified kickers. He’s also the most accurate kicker in franchise history.
Santos’ new deal will keep him in Chicago through 2027.
