Cairo Santos
A Brazilian-born kicker who clawed his way from an undrafted rookie to NFL stability, becoming one of the most accurate legs in Chicago Bears history.
Born 1991 (age 35)·Brazilian-American gridiron football player·Birthday: November 12·Millennials
Biography
Cairo Santos's journey to the NFL reads like a cross-continental field goal attempt against the wind. Born in Brazil, he didn't play American football until his senior year of high school in Florida, yet he possessed a natural, preternatural calm for the pressure-cooker role of placekicker. At Tulane University, he rewrote the record books, winning the Lou Groza Award as the nation's best kicker. But going undrafted in 2014 was just the first obstacle. His early promise with the Kansas City Chiefs was derailed by a debilitating groin injury that cost him his job and sent him on a nomadic trek across five teams in two years, fighting to stay in the league. His resilience defined him. Landing with the Chicago Bears in 2020, he finally found a lasting home, delivering clutch performance after clutch performance and setting franchise records for consecutive field goals. Santos's story is one of relentless precision and mental fortitude, a specialist who refused to let setback define his arc.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
Cairo was born in 1991, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Cairo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1991
#1 Movie
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Best Picture
The Silence of the Lambs
#1 TV Show
Cheers
Cairo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1991Born
Soviet Union dissolves; World Wide Web goes public
Gas: $1.14/galHome: $82,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"(Everything I Do) I Do It for You" — Bryan AdamsBest Picture: The Silence of the Lambs
1996Started school
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2004Became a teenager
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2007Could drive
iPhone released; Great Recession begins
Gas: $2.80/galHome: $172,600Min wage: $5.85/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Irreplaceable" — BeyonceBest Picture: No Country for Old Men
2009Could vote
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2012Turned 21
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2021Turned 30
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
Gas: $3.01/galHome: $298,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Levitating" — Dua LipaBest Picture: CODA
2026Age 35 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Won the Lou Groza Award in 2012 as the nation's top collegiate placekicker while at Tulane University.
- Set the Chicago Bears franchise record for most consecutive field goals made (40, from 2020-2022).
- Kicked a game-winning 30-yard field goal in a 2021 playoff victory over the Seattle Seahawks.
- Finished the 2023 NFL season leading the league in field goal percentage (min. 20 attempts).
Did You Know?
He grew up in Brazil playing soccer and did not attempt an American football field goal until he was 17 years old.
His first name is pronounced 'KY-ro', like the Egyptian capital city.
He is one of only a handful of Brazilian-born players to have a sustained career in the NFL.
He played his final college game in the 2014 Mercedes-Benz Superdome, the same stadium where he later kicked for the Chicago Bears against the Saints.
“My focus is on the process, the same swing, whether it's practice or the Super Bowl.”
