We’ve been waiting for a long time for the Bears to bring back their best and most valuable parts of the scoring process.
… but I may not have guessed that the kicker would be the first to obtain the robust extension:
After a record season, #Bears agreed to the terms with K Cairo Santos on a $ 16 million, 5-year contract with a maximum value of $ 17.5 million.
The final 2-year deal can be canceled, so it’s really a $ 9 million deal, three years with a maximum value of $ 11 million.
No more carousel boosters.
– Brad Biggs (@BradBiggs) March 12, 2021
UPDATE: it is officially official:
Kicking with Cairo until 2023! 🙌
We agree to the terms with @ cairosantos19 over a three-year contract extension. pic.twitter.com/8TOU0Zdb6L
– Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) March 12, 2021
Brad Biggs of Tribune reports that the Bears are signing kicker Cairo Santos for a five-year contract. It is a business worth up to $ 17.5 million, although there are some details that are probably designed to help with the limit situation. Essentially, Santos’ new deal boils down to a three-year deal worth $ 9 to $ 11 million. Chicago needs all kinds of creative accounting, considering your needs elsewhere.
With an AAV of more than $ 3 million, the Santos deal pays him right in the middle of the pack among NFL kickers, although close to the bottom of the pit of guys who are making money “for real”. The best kickers today are seeing more than $ 4 million a year, so if Santos really blew up, the Bears may find that it ends up being a bargain.
Santos comes from a stellar year in which they missed just two shots. He ended the year on a heater, connecting in 27 consecutive goals to end the season and setting a new record in the process:
One new #Bears all-time record, 27 consecutive field goals for Cairo Santos! This breaks Robbie Gould’s record of 26 in a row between the 2005-06 seasons. pic.twitter.com/gXzt5A3gnQ
– Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) January 3, 2021
If you bet on Bears’ defeat in the playoff, you will probably come back with the feeling that Cairo Santos is the most consistent offensive player on the team. And frankly, it seemed like that at times.
Bears holder (gambler Pat O’Donnell) and long-snapper (Patrick Scales) are still free agents, so Chicago still has work to do in the special teams department. But at least the circus can close the store. Well, at least for now.