The Chicago Bears' season opener on Monday brought on the heartbreak. A season with supposed promise got off with much of the same old same old.
They not only lost to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24, but there were glaring reasons for concern for what could lie ahead. Most notably, the performance of kicker Cairo Santos.
He missed a 50-yard field goal, almost missed a 42-yarder, and then there was the kickoff. At the end of the game, the Bears sought to kick the ball out of the end zone to save time.
They brought the game to 27-24 after a touchdown.
However, the ball landed in the middle of the end zone. Vikings returner Ty Chandler dashed down the field, and ultimately, the Bears exhausted at least seven precious seconds off the clock, when they still had a chance to win the game.
Immediately, Bears fans pounced on that crucial mishap. Afterward, Bears coach Ben Johnson sought to explain his strategy, per Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic.
According to Fishbain, Johnson said that a three-and-out would have given them 56 seconds. However, the Bears ended up losing the two-minute warning and got the ball back with only 9 seconds remaining.
Despite leading the game through the first two quarters and with Caleb Williams having a solid performance, this was by no means the ideal start for a team in desperate need to turn the page.
A need that would require an honest assessment of their kicker.
Cairo Santos is hurting himself and the Bears
While Santos has had his fair share of decent moments and has good accuracy, overall he is not who the Bears need. In part due to the fact that he is nursing a bad leg.
As a result, he has even greater difficulty kicking the ball long distance. He was lucky to have converted a 42 yarder to begin with.
The problem is that the Bears know this has been an issue since 2017. That year, Santos suffered a serious groin injury when he was with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Afterwards, they waived him and it's been a struggle ever since. Granted, he can convert on shorter field goals with relative ease, but when the game is on the line, you need to go the distance.
He can't do that. And yet Bears felt it was necessary to sign him to a four-year $16 million contract extension in 2023.
$9.5 million of that is guaranteed and his cap is at $4.26 this season.
At this point, the Bears need to start looking for a new kicker. In letting Santos go, the Bears would save at least $1 million in dead cap money. An additional $1.12 million would transfer until the 2026 season.
Altogether, they would have $3.2 million in cap savings to likely be spent on getting a kicker in free agency.
Beyond the money, they need a kicker who is healthy and can be counted on.
Santos can't do it anymore. This is simply of case of its broke and it needs fixing.
If the Bears don't act, buckle your seatbelts for another bumpy ride.
