New kicking stat delivers final verdict on how Bears fans should view Cairo Santos

Most Chicago Bears fans have agreed on one thing: they don't know how to feel about kicker Cairo Santos.

Last season, Santos made 25 of his 30 field goals, converting 83.3% of his field goals, which seems pretty decent, but nothing great. FanSided's Adam Fromal has another more accurate kicking stat that might help Bears fans determine if Santos is a good kicker: Kick Value Added (KVA). Fromal explained the process behind KVA.

"Instead of treating all makes and misses equally, KVA measures how much value a kicker actually adds (or costs) relative to league expectations from the same distances across the field. A long-distance conversion shouldn’t be weighed the same as a chip shot, and a miss doesn’t carry the same meaning everywhere on the field. As we saw during a 2025 season that featured incredible long-range success, making a 55-yarder this year shouldn't be treated the same as a kicker drilling a 55-yarder in 1985. KVA captures that difference."

Where does Cairo Santos rank among the rest of the NFL kickers in KVA?

Fromal ranked 43 NFL kickers based on KVA, and it was determined that Santos is not doing so bad. Santos was ranked 15th, and Fromal delved into the thought process behind that ranking.

"Given the winds that whip in off Lake Michigan and the bitter cold that pervades Soldier Field, kickers don't usually find much late-season success in Chicago. It's a big reason the Bears have historically struggled to find quality options at the position and are one of two NFL franchises with negative total KVA throughout their existence. Cairo Santos, however, is the exception. Take a gander at the conditions for his home performances in 2025:

Sept. 8: 1-of-2 FG and 3-3 XP (-1.5951 KVA) with 6 mph winds at 68 degrees
Sept. 21: 1-of-1 FG and 4-4 XP (0.3042 KVA) with 4 mph winds at 82 degrees
Nov. 9: 1-of-1 FG and 3-3 XP (0.1269 KVA) with 10 mph winds at 33 degrees
Nov. 23: 1-of-1 FG and 4-4 XP (0.8397 KVA) with 3 mph winds at 51 degrees
Dec. 14: 1-of-2 FG and 4-4 XP (-2.0568 KVA) with 6 mph winds at 8 degrees
Dec. 20: 3-of-3 FG and 1-of-1 XP (2.0223 KVA) with 6 mph winds at 37 degrees
Jan. 10: 3-of-3 FG and 2-of-2 XP (1.1826 KVA) with 6 mph winds at 32 degrees
Jan. 18: 1-of-1 FG and 2-of-2 XP (0.7866 KVA) with 6 mph winds at 19 degrees

In the five sub-40-degree games, Santos earned 2.0616 KVA. Anything over the breakeven point should be considered a Herculean feat in those conditions, which has to help the Chicago Bears feel so much more confident in their kicker than his spot in the rankings might indicate. Santos is entering a contract year in 2027, but the 34-year-old would have to submit quite the disastrous campaign to shake the Windy City’s faith in him."

Maybe the next time Bears fans want to question Santos, think about his KVA as it appears under the conditions of Chicago, he is handling it just as well as any kicker would in the NFL. Sounds like the Bears should keep Santos around for a while.