For Bears elder statesman Cairo Santos, dealing with kicking struggles never gets easier

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos #8 chats on the bench with punter Tory Taylor #19 during the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field, Monday, Sept. 8, 2025. | Ashlee Rezin/Sun-TimesAshlee Rezin/Sun-Times

It never gets any easier.

That’s what Cairo Santos tells young kickers who ask how he deals with the ups and downs of a profession in which he’s become one of the NFL’s elder statesmen.

At 34, Santos is the oldest Bear and the fifth-oldest kicker in the league. He’s in his 12th season. When he makes a mistake, though, the frustration doesn’t dissipate any faster than it used to.

“I feel just how I felt in Year 1, Year 2, where it bothers you the same,” Santos, who was…