This is a little interesting. The Kansas City Chiefs by all accounts seem to like Cairo Santos, who had a pretty solid season in Kansas City. The Chiefs tendered him as a restricted free agent at the low level which is roughly a $1.8 million contract.
With that said, the Chiefs worked out the NFL Draft’s top kicker, according to draft expert Tony Pauline.
Some of the kicks White fielded were from the leg of Zane Gonzalez who, as we stated, will be the first kicker off the board and is projected as a middle-round pick.
I’m told Gonzalez looked good during pro day. He’s already been worked out privately by the Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings and Kansas City Chiefs.
The big question: Is this due diligence because the Chiefs happened to be on campus for the pro day or are they in the market for a kicker? They already have a punter under a long-term contract. Santos would be eligible for a new deal after this season or, if the Chiefs wanted, even before the season. I thought at one point they could extend him instead of that one-year tender. The top of the kicker market is around $4 million per year which seems too high for the cash-strapped Chiefs (and I doubt Santos would command top end money).
The Chiefs can work out as many players as they want. However, they only get 30 visits to their facility in Kansas City. This sounds like a private workout (which many people confuse with a visit) that won’t count against their 30 visits.