The Chicago Bears had an unfortunate start to the 2025 season, losing 27-24 to the Minnesota Vikings. There are a lot of negatives to take away from the game, but beyond them all, the Bears’ underlying problem is now taking center stage: kicker Cairo Santos.
His performance raised serious questions about his ability to deliver in high-pressure situations. In a game that demanded execution, Santos came up short, literally.
Cairo Santos Becoming a Liability for the Bears
GettyThere should be major concern over Chicago Bears’ kicker Cairo Santos and his leg strength.
First, he missed a critical 50-yard field goal. While long-distance kicks are never automatic, in today’s NFL, a kicker must be reliable from that range.
Santos isn’t.
Vikings kicker Will Reichard, before Santos’ field-goal attempt, nailed a career-high 59-yard field goal just before the end of the first half.
Santos’ weak leg hasn’t just appeared out of nowhere, either. It’s been apparent since he’s been on the team, yet the Bears brass handed him a four-year, $16 million extension back in 2023.
But the defining moment of the game wasn’t the missed field goal; it was the kickoff at the end of the game. With the Bears needing the ball to go out of the end zone to conserve time, Santos’ kick fell short, and the Vikings capitalized.
What could have been a manageable possession for the Bears became another instance where special teams let them down. Head coach Ben Johnson didn’t hold back when asked about the sequence.
“Yeah, the intent was for the ball to go out of the end zone,” Johnson explained after the game. “We felt like if we had kicked it out of the end zone and gotten the three-and-out we got, we get the ball back with around 56 seconds.” Instead, Johnson and the team were left to deal with the consequences of Santos’ limitations.
A Costly Mistake
Santos, at 33 years old, doesn’t have the kind of leg strength that teams demand from their specialists. His missed 50-yarder and his inability to reach the end zone on a critical kickoff are glaring reminders of that.
For a team trying to turn the page in Chicago, having a kicker who can’t reliably execute in those situations is unacceptable. The Bears have already committed a sizable chunk of salary cap to Santos, making the contract look like a mistake. Chicago’s decision to stick with a veteran whose limitations are hard to correct is puzzling.
If the Bears are serious about competing in close games and maximizing every opportunity, they must start looking for a new kicker.
That’s just the reality.
Special teams often decide games, and right now Santos’ shortcomings are costing Chicago both momentum and wins. Fans remember all too well the infamous “double doink” that ruined one of the most fun seasons in recent memory, and everyone was hoping for those days to be behind them.
Looks like it’s carried into 2025.
Santos has had a respectable career, but the Bears can’t afford to keep waiting for him to make plays he simply doesn’t have the leg strength for.
As Chicago evaluates its roster and continues building toward the future, finding a replacement for Santos should move to the top of their priorities.
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