The Detroit Lions have signed UFL kicker Jake Bates to a two-year contract, as reported by his agent, Marty Magid, to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Bates secured a $1.98 million deal, which includes $150,000 guaranteed and a $100,000 signing bonus, Magid mentioned on Tuesday.
At 24 years old, Bates was second in the UFL this season with 17 field goals for the Michigan Panthers, highlighted by a 64-yard game-winning kick in the season opener against the St. Louis Battlehawks, just shy of Justin Tucker’s NFL record of 66 yards.
This impressive kick was Bates’ first in a game, as he only switched to football in his senior year of high school after being a soccer player, and he served as a kickoff specialist in college at Texas State and Arkansas.
Before deciding to stay in Michigan, Bates visited the Lions, Packers, and Commanders.
