(670 The Score) The Bears have signed kicker Cairo Santos to a contract extension, they announced Thursday evening.
The contract will be for five years and worth up to $17.5 million but can void to a three-year deal worth up to $11 million, a source said. The Bears announced it as a three-year deal.
Santos, 29, joined the Bears last August after stints with five other teams. He became the team's starting kicker after Eddy Pineiro suffered a groin injury prior to the season, and Santos didn't relinquish the job. Santos went 30-of-32 on field-goal attempts, closing the year with a franchise record of 27 straight field goals.
Santos has made 138 of 166 field-goal attempts in his career (83.1%). He had a prior stint with the Bears in 2017, kicking in two games with the team.
A native of São Paulo, Brazil, Santos arrived to the United States in an exchange student program and hoped to pursue soccer in the country. Then his host family introduced him to football, and he began kicking in high school.
"Football was a path where the door just started to open," Santos said.
The Bears hope Santos can be the team's long-term answer at kicker, a position they had failed to solidify since releasing Robbie Gould prior to the 2016 season.
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.