Chicago Bears extend kicker Cairo Santos to a four-year deal

The Chicago Bears will have plenty of important decisions to make this off-season but a change at the kicker position will not be one of them.

Cairo Santos entered the 2023-2024 NFL season in the final year of his deal with the Bears but there was never a fear that the team would not be able to reach an agreement on a new deal. That new deal was agreed to on Saturday as Santos will be in place as the team's kicker for the next four seasons.

Santos agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Bears worth $16MM. Of the $16MM, $9.5MM is guaranteed. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune was the first to report the deal.

This is an important deal for the Bears. When the Bears are ready to contend, it will be reassuring to know that they have a dependable kicker in place For all the nostalgia that Bears fans have over Robbie Gould, Santos, entering play on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals, has replaced Gould as the most accurate kicker in the history of the Bears' franchise.

For the Bears, the attention now turns to wide receiver Darnell Mooney and cornerback Jaylon Johnson in terms of the next player to earn a contract extension.

Mooney, whether impacted by his injury or not, has not earned a contract extension with his play this season. It would seem that both sides will be headed in different directions at the end of the season.

Whether through the franchise tag or a new deal, it's safe to say that Johnson will be back with the Bears next season. Johnson expressed his desire earlier this week to remain with the Bears.

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