UFL star kicker Jake Bates explains why he signed with Detroit Lions
UFL star kicker Jake Bates explains why he signed with Detroit Lions
After the Detroit Lions broke from OTAs for summer break, they signed former Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates, a move that had many Lions fans excited. Because the signing happened after all those OTA practices, we haven’t had a chance to formally talk to him in a media scrum, but the new Lions kicker joined the Lone Wolves podcast this week to give us insight into his NFL journey.
After Bates opened the UFL season by nailing a 64-yard, game-winning field goal, he was immediately thrust into the spotlight. NFL teams we’re reportedly trying to tamper with league rules to get a hold of Bates, and when he was finally free to sign with teams, the Lions were one of a few that were scrambling to add him.
But from early in the season with the Panthers, Bates developed a love for the city of Detroit. Kicking in the Lions’ home field of Ford Field and being surrounded by Lions fans on a weekly basis quickly endeared him to the local team.
“Detroit really felt like home, even outside of all that (attention), it felt good,” Bates said. “And there’s no real words to describe what that feeling is, it just felt good. The people there were awesome. Obviously, you can’t let yourself listen to that too much because you never know. But, no, it was awesome.”
Bates also quickly found himself at ease once he met with the Detroit Lions staff in his free agency meeting.
“When you walk into the building, just the feel of it, the culture that the coaching staff has brought in and the buzz around the city, the excitement for the team,” Bates said. “There’s so many intangible things that go into it with the feeling around the Lions right now. Obviously last season was awesome for them, and I just can’t wait to get up there and help any way that I can to hopefully do well for this city.”
When asked if the Lions’ two-year offer also helped sweeten the deal, Bates skirted the question, noting that after conversations with his agent, they felt Detroit was the best landing spot.
“I think there was a lot of things that went into it,” Bates said. “There’s a whole thing that after everything that happened and we went through that whole process, my agent and I sat down—and he was super helpful through everything—there’s just a bunch of different things. Every situation is different. That’s just where we felt most at home, most comfortable.”
Bates will enter training camp in competition with Michael Badgley, who has been solid as the Lions’ on-and-off kicker for the last two seasons.