The Chicago Bears wasted no time in puting a team captain on notice following a disappointing 27-24 loss to the Minnesota VIkings in Week 1. The Bears had several opportunities to put away the Vikings, but issues on offense and special teams contributed the second half disaster.
Kicker Cairo Santos had a rough night, missing a crucial field goal and failing to kick the ball out of the end zone with 2:02 remaining in the contest, allowing Minnesota to take the ball out of the end zone and running the clock under two minutes, taking a stoppage opportunity away from the defense.
Chicago Bears put Cairo Santos on notice with Jake Moody addition
According to NFL Insider Jordan Schultz, former San Francisco 49ers kicker Jake Moody is signing with the Bears’ practice squad, putting Santos on notice in Week 2.
Sources: Former #49ers K Jake Moody is signing with the #Bears practice squad.
Added competition for Cairo Santos. pic.twitter.com/tDVZgLh2Wd
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 12, 2025
Moody, a 2023 third-round pick by the 49ers, went 1-of-3 kicking in Week 1. He had a great rookie season (making 84% of his field goal attempts) but struggled after suffering a high-ankle sprain in 2024. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes Moody needed a change of scenery.
“He wasn’t kicking the ball well enough, and it was way too inconsistent,” Shanahan said via 49ers Webzone. “So, once that happens, and when your stroke in golf is changing all the time, and you’re trying to fix things, trying not to miss, it’s very hard to succeed at this level that way. There wasn’t anything I had to beat around the bush on. He knew that.
“And to a degree, I think this will give him a chance to move on, and hopefully, find a place where he can get a swag back in that way.”
The Chicago Bears have a kicking problem
On Thursday, Bears special teams coordinator explained Santos’ issues on Monday night, saying the veteran whiffed on his kickoff in the fourth quarter.
“He just didn’t hit it as flush as he wanted to hit it,” Hightower said. “It just didn’t go out the back, and that happens. And guess what? Nobody feels worse about that than Cairo. Nobody does.”
Hightower was unhappy with the missed field goal, and blamed Santos and the entire field goal team for the missed kick.
‘We never want to leave points on the board,” Hightower said. “My diagnosis is it always starts with the operation. Snap, hold and kick. That wasn’t clean. Protection was good. That wasn’t clean and we didn’t get it done and we need to get that done.”
Santos signed a contract extension with the Bears in 2023 thatgoes through 2027. He’s made 85.2% of his field goal attempts in his career. However, he struggles from deep, going 96-of-131 from attempts more than 40 yards.
Sep 8, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears place kicker Cairo Santos (8) kicks a field goal against the Minnesota Vikings during the second half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images
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