Chicago Bears Set to Release High-Priced Veteran, Clearing $9 Million in Cap Space for 2023
The Chicago Bears, a rising team in the NFL, have many young players ready to make a big impact. But, their kicking team still depends on a player who has been in the league for almost ten years.
Cairo Santos has been a steady kicker for the Bears since joining in 2020, but his performance in 2022 wasn't very good. The 31-year-old missed five of his 32 extra point attempts, which is concerning because he usually missed one or none in his earlier seasons.
PFF, mentioned by SI.com, gave Santos a very low rating of 48.5 last season, the worst among kickers with at least 10 tries.
Even though his field goal accuracy was still good�Santos made 21 of 23 attempts�it might be time for the Bears to look for a new kicker who can grow with the team as they become stronger and more competitive.
Letting Santos go could save the Bears $3 million, which would help them find a less expensive replacement.
Chicago has many options to consider, like using one of their 10 draft picks, signing a player who wasn't drafted, or getting a veteran from other teams. All these choices become easier once the Bears save money by releasing Santos this offseason. Bleacher Report's Alex Kay pointed out that the Bears' main kicker is one of the top five famous players who might be let go before the 2023 offseason ends. He said this would help save money and make it possible to find a younger, cheaper starter.
Kay wrote,
As seen at: Bears Projected to Release $9 Million Veteran Starter in 2023
| POLL | ||
30 MAI | 237 ANSWERS Chicago Bears Set to Release High-Priced Veteran, Clearing $9 Million in Cap Space for 2023 Should the Bears cut Cairo Santos? | ||
| Yes | 127 | 53.6 % |
| No | 110 | 46.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
