Through commercials and other forms of media, the United Football League (UFL) has highlighted Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates as one of its success stories, showcasing the league’s benefits for aspiring players.
Last season, the 25-year-old kicker suited up for the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, drilling back-to-back 64-yard field goals — though one didn’t count — in their season-opening win against the St. Louis Battlehawks.
A year later, the former Houston brick salesman is delivering game-winning kicks for the NFC’s No. 1-seeded Lions and rewriting franchise history along the way.
The Lions have struggled for years to find stability at the kicker position, but Bates has emerged as their long-term solution. While he credits several factors for his success, Bates is quick to recognize how his time with the Panthers prepared him for this opportunity.
“Just the UFL as a whole has given me the opportunity to kick in games and exposed me to that situation, that pressure,” Bates said on a Thursday Zoom call. “But as for specifically kicking at Ford Field, yeah, it helps a little bit. I mean, I go out there, and I feel like I know my spots pretty well as far as where I’m aiming and stuff, but I mean, it’s a good field.
“The turf’s really good; the spots that you find to aim, they’re really good behind the goals. So I think it’s a good place to kick, and I’m happy to be here.”
After going 17-for-22 on field goals with the Panthers last season, Bates signed a two-year deal with the Lions ahead of the 2024 training camp. While he faced challenges during camp, he earned a spot on the 53-man roster and became one of the few UFL players to break into the NFL this season.
Bates went on to complete a stellar season, connecting on 26 of 29 field goals (89.7%) and 64 of 67 extra points. His 142 total points set a new franchise record, surpassing the legendary Jason Hanson.
“I mean, it’s really cool. I think more than anything, though, it’s really a big-time offensive stat,” Bates said of the record. “So many of those points are extra points, and that only comes from scoring touchdowns. And then, other than that, we’re getting in field goal range so often because of the high power of our offense.
“So, I mean, it’s a really cool award, and obviously, I guess it’s my name attached to it, but there are so many people that make it happen. It doesn’t matter how good of a kicker I could be—or bad—but if our offense never gets us in that situation, that’s not even a possibility. So I think more than anything, it’s a big-time offensive stat, and it’s fun playing for this offense, for sure.”
Bates’ success has not only cemented his place in Lions history but also allowed the UFL to promote his story as evidence of the league’s impact on players chasing NFL dreams.
“I know that that league did for me what it was supposed to, or what it’s built for. It’s built to give people a stage, and I was able to get that stage,” Bates said. “And without that, I’m not here, so I owe so much to the UFL and to the Panthers. Anything I can do to help that league, I’m on board with. I’m not, obviously, the most active person on social media or anything, so as far as pumping stuff out, posting, I’m probably not that guy.
“But I’m super thankful for them, and so if they need to use me a little bit to get some hype around the league that I think is so good, I’m all on board for that.”
One experience from the UFL that stands out to Bates is how it prepared him for high-pressure situations — a lesson that could prove invaluable as the Lions head into the playoffs.
In last season’s USFL Conference Championship game, Bates started strong, nailing his first four field goals and giving the Panthers a 12-0 lead over the Birmingham Stallions in the first quarter. But he missed his next two—a 51-yarder in the second quarter and a 44-yarder in the fourth. The Panthers ultimately lost 31-18, while the Stallions advanced to the championship game.
“I think there was a little sense of, ‘I can’t miss today,’” Bates recalled. “On that day, I started off so hot, and I think that really showed me, ‘Dude, you have to take every single kick as its own.’ It doesn’t matter how hot you’re feeling that day — if you don’t do what’s right on every kick, you’re going to miss.
“No one’s too good to miss, and no one’s been working too hard or whatever to miss. Everyone can miss. So, I think there’s a lot of mental growth in just knowing that I need to approach every kick as its own and put my full effort on every kick.”
With the NFL playoffs kicking off this weekend, the Lions have a bye before hosting a to-be-determined opponent in the divisional round at Ford Field, where Bates has been nearly automatic. For Bates, the sting of that UFL playoff defeat has become a valuable tool for navigating the intensity of postseason play.
“Playoffs (are) a different beast,” Bates said. “Just knowing that if you lay an egg, you’re not going to be playing anymore. So I think just realizing how serious playoffs are and what it truly means.
“And so I’m super thankful for that (UFL) experience, and obviously I wish we would’ve come out with the win that day. But I think the lessons that it taught me, and I hope so many others on our team, I think are invaluable in taking it going forward and turning it into a positive thing.”
Writer’s note: The XFL and USFL merged to form the UFL on Dec. 31, 2023. Under the merger, the former XFL and USFL became conferences within the new UFL structure.
