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Detroit Lions get a visit from Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates
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- Detroit Lions get a visit from Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates
The Detroit Lions got a visit on Tuesday from the owner of one of the longest field goals in professional football history.
Four NFL teams, the Lions included, have requested workouts with
Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates visited the Lions, but did not work out, now that his UFL season is over. He is scheduled to visit the Washington Commanders and Green Bay Packers before making a decision on where to sign.
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Aaron Wilson, a reporter covering the Texans for the KPRC 2 TV station in Houston , first reported that Bates was visiting teams across the NFL.
It is said to be a "competitive" race between Detroit , the Washington Commanders, the Green Bay Packers and the Baltimore Ravens to acquire Bates, who was named the top kicker in the spring league on the All-UFL team released last week.
Bates made 21 of 28 field goals in the Panthers' 11 games this season, including going 4 of 6 in the playoff loss to the Birmingham Stallions on Saturday, and made three of his four attempts from 60 yards or longer. He established a name for himself in the Panthers' season opener at Ford Field, when he hit a 64-yard game-winning field goal as time expired , the second-longest field goal in pro football history behind Justin Tucker 's 66-yard game-winner against the Lions in the same uprights in 2021.
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It was the first of two successful walk-off kicks for Bates out of three attempts this season, with the miss coming on a 53-yard attempt in the regular season finale against Birmingham. In the playoff loss, the Panthers turned to Bates often after struggling to find the end zone on offense, and made kicks from 53, 42, 39 and 25 yards. He missed from 51 yards at the end of the second quarter and 44 yards in the fourth quarter.
Michigan Panthers kicker Jake Bates connects on a 64-yard field goal to give the Panthers a stunning 18-16 win over the St. Louis Battlehawks at Ford Field in the United Football League season opener Saturday, March 30, 2024 in Detroit.
The UFL only does conversions after touchdowns for one, two or three points from various yardages, meaning Bates did not attempt an extra point.
Bates has previously had a cup of coffee on an NFL roster as a member of the Texans last preseason and appeared in one exhibition game before being cut. Before starting his professional football career, he hadn't attempted a field goal in a sanctioned game since high school because he was a soccer player and then a kickoff specialist in college.
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Bates, a native of Tomball, Texas, near Houston , started out playing soccer at Central Arkansas before transferring to Texas State in 2020, where he joined the football team and exclusively served on kickoff duty. He transferred again to Arkansas in 2022, where he served on kickoff duty again while current Jaguars kicker Cam Little handled field goals and earned All-SEC honors.
"I didn't know if I was going to be working my job selling bricks or if I was going to be able to play football," Bates said after the game-winning kick in March about playing with the Panthers. "So, yeah it feels good. I feel like I got that sense of relief once we got to training camp. It was like, 'okay this is happening, I'm with the team,' and getting the first game out of the way and getting a W feels good."
Earlier this season after two games, Panthers head coach Mike Nolan said NFL teams were already reaching out to Michigan about Bates , and potentially to Bates and his agent directly in violation of UFL rules. UFL players can sign with an NFL team after the UFL season ends, a goal shared by all UFL players openly.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions take visit from Michigan Panthers K Jake Bates
