At 34, Cairo Santos knows that experience does not guarantee a place in the NFL. The Brazilian kicker has established himself with the Chicago Bears and signed a four-year contract extension, but says he still has to compete each season, including against younger players.
“Every year, at my age, I have to fight harder to keep up,” Santos told Folha. The extension was signed two years ago, but only its first two seasons were guaranteed. He said the team could release him during or after a season without paying the remaining salary and bring in another kicker.
Competition has become part of his routine. Santos said the Bears have signed players to challenge him in recent years, and that winning the job again is a motivating part of his preseason preparation.
That pressure was evident after he missed a 53-yard field goal against the New England Patriots. Given another opportunity soon afterward, Santos made a 58-yard kick, the longest of his career, to help secure a 30-24 victory. He said the coaching staff initially planned to punt, but he asked the special teams coach to pass along that he wanted to attempt the kick and believed it was within his range. Coach Ben Johnson then showed confidence in him, Santos said.
The Brazilian says mistakes are harder to accept as his career progresses. “The more success I have, the more frustrating my mistakes are,” he said, explaining that he feels he improves each year and believes he can raise his seasonal numbers and extend his kicking range.
Through seven games, Santos had made 11 of 15 field-goal attempts, a 73.3% success rate, and all 21 of his extra points. His missed attempts included a 43-yarder against the Green Bay Packers, a 56-yarder against the Atlanta Falcons, a 23-yard kick blocked against the Minnesota Vikings, and the 53-yarder against New England. He also scored 54 of Chicago’s 180 points as the Bears began the season with five wins and two losses.
Santos remains the most accurate kicker in Bears history, with an 87.2% field-goal rate for the franchise. He considers himself at the best point of his career, but said that does not guarantee he will stay with Chicago: the team could choose a younger player, leaving him to enter free agency.
Looking beyond his playing career, Santos wants to use his NFL experience to help other Brazilians find a path into the sport. He believes many people who play soccer and have strong ball skills may not realize they could become kickers. But he also noted that reaching the league from Brazil is difficult, particularly because of the cost of studying at a US university. Santos said an exchange program brought him to the United States at age 15, where he played high school football and had the chance to be seen by college recruiters.
The NFL has also increased its presence in Brazil. After games in São Paulo in 2024 and 2025, the league held a matchup in Rio de Janeiro last month, where the Baltimore Ravens beat the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 at the Maracanã. The NFL has announced a five-year agreement with Rio, beginning in 2026, to stage at least three regular-season games there. Santos called the league’s investment in Brazil a dream come true and joked that he would like to see the Bears play in the country.
Sources: Folha Esporte.