CINCINNATI — No matter how long Bears kicker Cairo Santos lasts in the NFL or how much he accomplishes, there’s never a time when he feels he can exhale. That’s the residual effect of spending the majority of his career having to prove himself.
That pressure has been there the entirety of his seven-year run with the Bears, even as he has steadied them at one of their most problematic positions — until now. It appears he won over coach Ben Johnson last season after some early hiccups, and the team sent a message of trust by not bringing in anyone to challenge him this summer.
That reassured Santos “a little bit” but, as usual, he’s proceeding as though that can change in an instant.
“It makes me happy that they recognize what I can add to the team, but the mentality is that you’re always competing with yourself,” he told the Sun-Times ahead of the Bears’ preseason game at the Bengals on Saturday. “I need to make sure I’m still improving so they don’t feel like they need to bring in somebody else.
“I’m always competing with guys in the league, but I really feel like I’m competing with myself. If I’m the only guy here, I hope they see the improvements I’ve made and what I can contribute.”
Getting better gets harder with age. At this point, it’s typically more holding on than climbing, but Santos rejects that. He’ll turn 35 this season, making him one of the oldest kickers in the league, and believes he can still grow.
While he prioritizes accuracy over power, he has worked to extend his range just a little this offseason.
At 5-foot-8, 173 pounds, he’s never going to drill field goals from 60-plus yards with relative ease like the Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey, who is built like a linebacker. Instead, Santos’ goal is to be ultra-reliable on anything under 50 yards and be a reasonable option for Johnson all the way out to 55, up two yards from last season.
“When I see guys come into Soldier Field, it’s really all about making them from 53 yards and in, and not every good kicker has done that,” he said. “If I push for distance, it’s going to sacrifice my consistency inside where I need to be automatic. I try not to kick how these guys are kicking because I know what works for me is something more consistent and true.”
Special teams coordinator Richard Hightower has noticed a difference in training camp and said, “It’s crazy to go into Year 13 and see the constant improvement.”
Santos credited the added distance to focusing his offseason training on flexibility more than strength and hopes that also will minimize injuries. He missed two games last season because of a quad issue.
“With aging, I’ve felt like I needed to add more mobility and I added a little more length to my leg swing, which translates to a little bit more power and height on the ball,” he said.
Santos is the most accurate field-goal kicker in Bears history at 88.3% and the all-time leader at Soldier Field, widely regarded as the NFL’s worst place to kick because of wind, ice temperatures and turf issues, at 89%. Longtime Bears kicker Robbie Gould finished his career at 85.4% and 84.3%, respectively.
Santos has held up even in brutal weather and has made 88.9% of his field goals at Soldier Field in November, December and January since 2020. That’s the quality that will make the Bears think twice about making a move. Santos might be the only person hoping the team’s stadium drama drags on as long as possible.
His career appeared to be finished after bouncing among six teams — including the Bears briefly, when he made so little of an impression that former coach John Fox called him “Carlos” — from 2017 through ’19. Then former Bears coach Matt Nagy pushed the front office to sign him when Eddy Pineiro got hurt in training camp in 2020.
After a rocky start that season, Santos made a franchise-record 40 consecutive field goals and never looked back.
When the Bears fired Nagy and Ryan Pace after the 2021 season, Santos solidified his standing with new general manager Ryan Poles and earned a contract extension.
And while Johnson was frustrated enough by Santos botching a kickoff and missing a field goal in the season opener to bring in Jake Moody on the practice squad last season, he was solid the rest of the way and earned credibility. Hot mics at practice recently picked up Johnson lightheartedly trying out some Portuguese on Santos, who is Brazilian, so all is well.
The Bears have had few, if any, pieces as dependable as Santos over the past decade. He’s signed through next season, but if he truly can keep getting better, they’d love to have that stability even longer.