Are we really about to go through this again? After the Chicago Bears moved on from Robbie Gould, it seemed like the team was cursed at kicker. They tried and tried, and eventually, Cairo Santos came in and won the job.
Santos is in year three with the Chicago Bears, and the first two went just fine. Unfortunately, now it looks like the shine is wearing off a bit. Santos has been a hindrance to the team recently.
Since week 10 Santos has missed two field goals and three extra points. The field goals can be forgiven, although a miss against Atlanta would have tied the game. Still, the big issue here has to be going 10 for his last 13 extra-point attempts. That is not an outright reason to cut a player, but it is starting to make you nervous and prepare the plan for if this does continue.
Santos is signed next season, and unfortunately, he will carry a $1.5M dead cap no matter what. However, the team would be able to clear about $1.75M in cap space moving on from him. Sadly, they would have $1M of that come back in dead money in 2024, thanks to the way that Ryan Pace maneuvered the contract.
So, unless the Chicago Bears can sign a kicker for under $750,000, they will not save any money. They have to either decide whether they want to pay $3M to have Santos or pay $3M plus to get rid of Santos and replace him.
Still, yet another Pace player struggling under Ryan Poles may have him thinking it is just best to move on. Poles can get their eyes on a fresh group of kickers and they can start new with someone that they selected and they trusted.
The Chicago Bears will not be making a move now, and they will give Santos the rest of the season to figure this out. The reality is that if Santos does not miss a kick the rest of the way, then Poles will probably want to keep his man. It is just another need to the list, and the saved money does not change anything.
If Santos missed another extra point, or a few more field goals, the cost may be worth it to upgrade this offseason.