While quarterback Caleb Williams earned the nickname "Iceman" this season, and rightfully so, kicker Cairo Santos was routinely described in the same vein after several clutch performances that helped the Bears to their best season in a decade.
For his overall performance this season — he converted 83.3% of field goal attempts and 100% of extra points — as well as his poise and leadership in critical moments, Santos has been named the Bears' Special Teams Player of the Year by ChicagoBears.com.
Santos routinely displayed a composed, veteran presence throughout his 11th NFL season, sixth consecutive with the Bears and seventh overall in Chicago, whether it was hitting a game-winning 48-yard field goal as time expired in Minnesota Nov. 16 or making all three field goal attempts in blustery conditions at Soldier Field Dec. 20 to help the Bears to an overtime victory against Green Bay.
"I think that's just who he is as a person," special teams coordinator Richard Hightower said Jan. 7. "He's an unfazed individual. He's very resilient. He has been through a lot in his career. He is a great example of what we want our room to look like in terms of battling in this league. You've got to battle, and you've got to battle week in and week out. As soon as you think you've got it figured out, then there's another challenge. That what's so great."
Santos' performance against the Packers in Week 16 was his most impactful of the season and earned him NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors. Facing some of the toughest weather conditions of his career, Santos made field goals from 46, 51 and 43 yards, the last kick bringing the Bears within seven points at the 1:59 mark of regulation. He followed that with a perfect onside kick that teammate Josh Blackwell recovered, and when Williams led the offense on an ensuing touchdown drive, Santos hit the extra point to tie the game and send it to overtime.
"Cairo came up big for us," coach Ben 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."
Following the Bears' overtime win against their NFC North rival, Santos earned a game ball from Johnson in the locker room after the game, which was his third such honor of the season. He received his first game ball following the Bears' last-second win in Las Vegas Sept. 28, where Santos went 4-of-4 on field goals, including two from 50+ yards. Several weeks later and following a quadriceps injury that sidelined him for two games, Santos earned another game ball after hitting a 48-yard field goal against the Vikings to give the Bears a dramatic 19-17 win in Minneapolis.
Santos is now etched in the Bears record books in several categories. He is the most accurate field-goal kicker in franchise history at 88.3%, holds the club record for field goals of at least 50 yards with 25 and ranks second in points per game (6.6). He also became the first Bears kicker to make a field goal of at least 50 yards in a playoff game, when he drilled a 51-yarder in the wild card win over the Packers.
This season, Santos also displayed his adaptability, finding success in the NFL's new dynamic kickoff rules. A kick that goes out of the back of the end zone means the ball is placed at the receiving team's 35-yard line, while a kick that bounces in the landing zone and then goes into the end zone is spotted at the 20-yard line.
Santos began utilizing "dirty kicks," which are designed to confuse returners through unpredictable movement or bounces, to help put the Bears defense in advantageous field position situations. Against Pittsburgh Nov. 23, Santos used the dirty kicks to pin the Steelers at their own five-yard line on one kickoff and the 20-yard line on another.
"Our kickoff is really starting to become a weapon for us," Johnson said after the win. "Cairo is doing a phenomenal job with some of these dirty kicks, and it's really helping us with our field position there to start drives on defense."
Beyond Santos' clutch ability and consistency, what also stood out about the kicker this season was his locker room presence and leadership as a Bears captain.
"When you get voted captain by your peers, I think that says a lot," Johnson said. "We had a number of really good special teams players, and yet he was the one that got the most votes to be special teams captain. And when you see how they react in the locker room to him receiving a game ball or making one of those game-winning kicks, I think it's pretty special. When he talks, they listen. He's been around this league for a long time, and I think he's been a really good influence for our special teams unit in general."
