The following is the ninth of nine position reviews from the Bears' 2025 season.
The special teams unit made significant contributions throughout the year, helping the Bears capture their first NFC North title since 2018 and win their first playoff game since 2010.
Kicker Cairo Santos earned game balls from coach Ben Johnson after three thrilling comeback wins over the Raiders, Vikings and Packers. The first came Sept. 28 in Las Vegas after he made all four field goals he attempted from 46, 43, 52 and 51 yards in a 25-24 victory.
The second came Nov. 16 in Minnesota after Santos drilled a 48-yard field goal as time expired to give the Bears a 19-17 victory. The kick came after the Vikings had taken a 17-16 lead on J.J. McCarthy's 15-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Addison with :50 remaining.
Santos earned a third game ball and was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance Dec. 20 in a 22-16 overtime win over Green Bay at Soldier Field.
In blustery conditions, Santos converted all three field goals he tried from 46, 51 and 43 yards and played a key role in the Bears rallying from a late 16-6 deficit. He closed the gap to 16-9 with his 43-yarder with 1:59 remaining, executed a perfect onside kick that teammate Josh Blackwell recovered and then drilled an extra point that tied the score 16-16 with :24 to play.
"Cairo came up big for us," Johnson said after the game. "Those conditions, Soldier Field this time of year, are not advantageous for many kickers. And yet Cairo has proven that he's a guy that we cannot only trust, but he'll come through for us when we need him the most."
After making 25 of 30 field-goal attempts (83.3%) in 2025, Santos remains the most accurate kicker in Bears history, having connected on 88.3% of his kicks (159 of 180). In addition, his four field goals of 50-plus-yards increased his total to 25, eclipsing Robbie Gould's team record of 23.
Santos set another franchise mark with a 51-yarder in the divisional playoffs against the Rams that was the longest field goal in Bears postseason history, topping Gould's 49-yarder that beat the Seahawks 27-24 in overtime Jan. 14, 2007, at Soldier Field.
Santos also excelled by employing "dirty kickoffs." In a Nov. 23 win over the Steelers, his first kickoff was a knuckleball that short-hopped Kenneth Gainwell, who muffed the ball. He recovered it but was tackled at his own 5. Santos' second kickoff bounced near the sideline at the 1 and caromed out of the side of the end zone for a touchback. Because the ball landed at the 1 and not in the end zone, the Steelers' drive started at the 20 instead of the 35.
"It was a huge boost," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said after the game. "We just want to help and aid the team in any way possible. Whether that's from a defensive drive standpoint or that's an offensive drive standpoint, we just want to help the team and contribute. That's all we care about."
Santos wasn't the only Bears kicker to earn a game ball from Johnson in 2025. Veteran Jake Moody was honored Oct. 13 in Washington after he made 4-of-5 field-goal attempts, including a 38-yarder as time expired to give the Bears a 25-24 Monday night victory. Moody had been elevated from the practice squad earlier in the day to replace the injured Santos.
Another special teams highlight was provided by punter Tory Taylor, who broke his own Bears record with a gross average of 47.8 yards, topping the mark of 47.7 he had set as a rookie in 2024.
Blackwell also continued to thrive in 2025, contributing directly to two comeback wins. He preserved the Bears' 25-24 victory over the Raiders by deflecting Daniel Carlson's 54-yard field goal attempt with 1:34 remaining.
Blackwell got a good jump thanks to a tip from Bears long-snapper Scott Daly. Watching tape during the week, Daly had noticed that his Raiders counterpart would move the ball an instant before snapping it and that information helped Blackwell time up his rush.
In their scintillating 22-16 win over Green Bay, the Bears likely not have been able to force overtime if not for a huge play by Blackwell, who recovered an onside kick after Santos' 43-yard field goal had cut the deficit to 16-9 with 1:59 to play. Prior to Blackwell's play, only 8.5% of onside kicks (4 of 47) had been recovered by the kicking team during the NFL season.
Devin Duvernay made key contributions in the return game in 2025. He picked the perfect time for his longest kickoff return of the season, a 56-yarder in the final minute of the Bears' 19-17 win over Minnesota that set up Santos' decisive field goal.
In addition, Duvernay's 97 punt return yards in the two playoff games are the most in a single postseason in Bears history. His 64 yards against the Packers and 33 yards versus the Rams are the two most prolific punt return games by a Bears player in the playoffs. Devin Hester's 30 yards Jan. 16, 2011, in a 35-24 win over the Seahawks at Soldier Field are the third most.
Six players registered double digit tackles on special teams in 2025. Daniel Hardy led the Bears with 19, followed by Jonathan Owens (15), Elijah Hicks (12), Jaylon Jones (12), Carl Jones Jr. (11) and Travis Homer (10).
