It almost seems like fate that Cairo Santos was to become kicker for the Chicago Bears. Much of that comes from the men who helped shape his rise to NFL relevance. Santos was an undrafted free agent in 2014. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, lured in by top special teams coach Dave Toub. Of course Bears fans will fondly remember his work from 2004 to 2012 when his units terrorized opponents.
After two average years, Santos blossomed in 2016. He hit 31 of his 35 field goal attempts and 36 of 39 extra points. One might see him as yet another quality find for Toub in a long, successful career. In truth though that's not the entire story. Santos revealed that another former Bears legend had a big hand in his development.
That was Robbie Gould. The all-time leading scorer in Bears history (1,207 points) made a sad exit last year after a difficult stretch in which he missed a number of kicks. Since then he's bounced between the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers, going 29-of-31 on field goals. Amazing as it sounds, before this transpired he busied himself with helping the newest Chicago kicker learn the ropes.
Cairo Santos credits Gould with mentoring him on the NFL
There is something rather poetic about that. It's also a reminder of the incredible player and person Gould was for such a long time in Chicago. He was the last of the holdouts from the 2006 Super Bowl team and responsible for so many clutch kicks. His 49-yarder to beat Seattle in the divisional playoff will be especially treasured among Bears fans. To know that Robbie gave his personal stamp of approval to this 26-year old kid is a welcome sign. Santos has six games to prove he can be their long-term solution at the position following the failure of Connor Barth.
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