The Chicago Bears will have a new kicker when they take on the New York Giants on Sunday. Veteran kicker Michael Badgley is reportedly signing with the Bears, according to his agent Brian McLaughlin. He will handle kicking duties for the Bears as Cairo Santos will miss the game due to personal reasons.
#Bears adding K Michael Badgley after he worked out for them yesterday, according to his agent. https://t.co/SvKbdsALd4
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 1, 2022
Badgley came into the league in 2018 with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent, but wound up playing with the Los Angeles Chargers for the first few seasons of his career. Between 2018 and 2020, Badgley played in 34 games for the Chargers and converted 80 percent of his field goals.
He played in one game for the Tennessee Titans last season before signing back with the Colts to replace an injured Rodrigo Blankenship. He played in 12 games and converted 18-of-21 field goals and made all of his extra points. He now reunites with former Colts defensive coordinator and current Bears head coach Matt Eberflus this weekend.
Badgley, along with veterans Brian Johnson and Josh Lambo, were brought in to workout with the Bears on Friday with Santos’ status up in the air. Santos missed the last two practices with personal reasons and has been away from the facility. He’s officially listed questionable for Sunday, but he did not travel with the team to New York, indicating Badgley will be the only kicker dressed for the game.
The Bears and Giants kickoff this Sunday at noon CT in East Rutherford, NJ.