The Chicago Bears have had a tough time replacing Robbie Gould as their kicker in recent seasons, but they believe they have found their guy as they’ve signed kicker Cairo Santos to a contract extension.
The deal was first reported by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune Thursday afternoon:
The Bears later confirmed that they had signed Santos to a three-year deal. They did not disclose financial terms of the deal.
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According to Biggs, the deal could pay Santos $16 million over five years, with a max value of $17.5 million.
Details on the amount of guaranteed money weren’t immediately available, but Biggs reported that the final two years of the deal can be voided by the Bears.
Santos took over the starting job for the Bears last season after Eddy Pineiro was slowed due to an injury, and he never looked back, making 30-of-32 field goals and 36 of his 37 attempted extra points.
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Santos set Bears records for consecutive field goals in a single season by nailing 27 in a row, and also set the record for most consecutive field goals made by a Bears kicker overall by achieving that feat.
He will have the opportunity to extend the latter record going into next season, but for now the Bears will focus on celebrating the fact that they’ve locked up their kicker for the foreseeable future.
