Cairo Santos Addresses Matthew Golden Tripping Controversy From Bears vs. Packers

It appears the tripping controversy involving Bears kicker Cairo Santos and Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden is water under the bridge.

Chicago Bears placekicker Cairo Santos (8) watches the ball after kicking a fifty-yard field goal held by punter Tory Taylor (19) against the Minnesota Vikings during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Patrick Gorski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If you've watched the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers rivalry long enough, you know there is always some sort of controversy after a game.

From the Week 5 version, one of those controversies involved Bears kicker Cairo Santos and Packers wide receiver Matthew Golden, who accused Santos of trying to trip him.

The incident occurred after Golden ran out of bounds on a punt return and ran over a Bears assistant coach, and as he ran back onto the field, Santos stuck out his leg to try and trip Golden.

“It’s all good. I ain’t got nothing to say to him," Golden said, per The Athletic's Matthew Schneidman.

Santos addresses tripping controversy

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos (8) with long snapper Scott Daly (46) after kicking a field goal against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike Dinovo-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

On Thursday, Santos was asked about Golden's accusation, which, if we're being honest, did happen. It appears it's water under the bridge for both players, though.

"I don't want to go too much into it," Santos said, according to Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic. "But got a chance to talk to (Matthew Golden) at halftime and saw his comments after the game and he said it's all good, that's how I feel, it's all good."

Now, it'll be interesting to see if Santos faces some kind of fine from the NFL. The Bears kicker said he has not heard from the league yet. We'll know no later than Saturday, when the NFL officially announces fines handed out to players.

Golden went on to have a big game against the Bears, with the second-year wideout reeling in six catches for 123 yards.

Santos left three points on the board for Chicago when he missed a 43-yard field goal in the third quarter against Green Bay. That was his only field goal attempt of the afternoon.

Of course, the miss didn't really end up mattering, as the Bears had their doors blown off by Green Bay, 31-7, in what was an embarrassing effort from Chicago.

Now, the Bears will have to wait until Week 16 to get their revenge on the Packers.

Special teams issues

Chicago Bears kicker Cairo Santos (8) kicks a field goal against the New York Jets during the second quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Marton-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Santos' miss was his second of the season, with the other coming on a blocked kick in Week 2 against the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears have experienced some issues with the field goal unit in 2026. Chicago has already swapped out long snappers because of snapping issues, with the team replacing rookie Beau Gardner with veteran Scotty Daly.

There wasn't any indication Santos' miss was a result of poor operation and there haven't seemed to be any issues with snaps after Chicago made the switch at long snapper.