The Chicago Bears' future is brighter than it has been in a long time now that head coach Ben Johnson is leading the team. The 38-year-old first-year HC's hiring is just one example of the many good offseason decisions the Bears have made, putting them in a good spot to compete next season.
Even though the Johnson era is already looking more promising than Matt Eberflus' tenure, there's always room for the Bears to improve. Upgrading the kicker room is one way that Chicago can take another step forward after finishing tied for the 13th-worst Pro Football Focus special teams grade (77.4) in 2024.
Fortunately, the perfect target just became available for the Bears, whether they want an upgrade over kicker Cairo Santos or just a name to give him a kick in the pants.
Bears Can Sign Matt Gay to Put Pressure on Cairo Santos
The Indianapolis Colts announced on Thursday that they have released veteran kicker Matt Gay from his contract. The former Pro Bowl and Super Bowl-winning special teamer has played 96 games between the regular season and playoffs across the last six years, making him one of the most experienced names available.
We have released K Matt Gay.
— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) April 10, 2025
Gay has been a consistent presence with every team he's joined, having had successful runs with the Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Los Angeles Rams. He's connected on 165-of-193 field-goal tries (85.5%) and 206-of-214 extra-point attempts (96.3%) in his regular-season outings while kicking his way to an 85.7 FG% (12-of-14) and 100.0 XP% (15-of-15) in the playoffs.
It isn't unfathomable that the Bears might look at Gay's numbers and decide to bring him in as competition for Santos.
After all, the 33-year-old Bears kicker is coming off his worst season to date. After recording a 91.8 FG% (56-of-61) in the two previous seasons, Santos finished the 2024 campaign with an underwhelming 84.0 FG% (21-of-25) — the 10th-worst success rate among kickers who made at least 14 appearances.
Even if the Bears aren't fully enamored by him, signing Gay would send a message to Santos that his job isn't locked. The presence of another veteran kicker might be exactly what the former Tulane product needs to motivate him to get his career back on track. If not and he fails to rebound in camp, the Bears can rest easy knowing that they have a former championship-winning replacement on their hands.
Besides, Gay might not be the only kicker Chicago has its eyes on. The 2025 NFL draft class also boasts several promising legs, giving the Bears plenty of options if they want to replace Santos with a much younger choice.
At the end of the day, Bears fans better buckle up because the team's kicking situation has all the makings to last throughout training camp.