3 Bears Who Made History During the 2023 Season

Another losing season for the Chicago Bears in 2023-24 is probably what was most expected in the beginning. But three Bears made some (positive) history this campaign.

By Thomas Erbe | Jan 11, 2024

Sep 10, 2023; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles walks laps around / Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

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Cairo Santos Makes Team History

There is no need to tell Chicago fans how important it is to have a reliable kicker. After a decade-plus of knowing Robbie Gould was there to save the day, the kicker position has been a revolving door of "eh" for the Bears.

That is, until Cairo Santos came to town.

Santos has now been with the Bears for five seasons, including a short stint in 2017, and he met a mark this past campaign no player, not even Gould, had hit before.

Santos set the single-season record for field goals made with 35 through the uprights. Just as impressive, he only missed three times - a 92% success rate. With how disappointing the offense has been at scoring points in this stretch of time, it's nice to know that Santos is there to at least put 3 points on the board more times than not.

Santos is also a great teammate. After the Bears acquired wide receiver DJ Moore when trading the number one pick in the NFL Draft to the Carolina Panthers last season, Santos changed his jersey number to 8 so Moore could keep his number 2.

He'll be with the Bears for the foreseeable future, too, as he signed a 4-year extension with the Bears in December.

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