Pride of Detroit
With an impressive rookie season in 2024, can Jake Bates prove he’s worth a long-term deal in Detroit?
For the first time during the Brad Holmes-Dan Campbell era, there isn’t a question at the kicker position. For a 40-year stretch, the Detroit Lions have been spoiled at kicker, leaning on Eddie Murray from 1980 to 1991, then turning to Lions legend Jason Hanson from 1992 to 2012, and finally deploying Matt Prater from 2014 to 2020. But for the last three seasons, the Lions have tried kicker after kicker, and it didn’t seem like anybody was a long-term option.
That was until the team signed Jake Bates last season.
Let’s take a look at how Bates did in his rookie year and project if the Lions should add him to the list of players they should extend.
Previous installments: TE Sam LaPorta, EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
With the kicker position questionable under Michael Badgley, the Lions decided to bring in some training camp competition. After a strong season with the Michigan Panthers, the Lions signed Bates to a two-year contract. In the UFL, Bates went 17-for-22 on field goals (77.3%), but his accuracy from distance was most impressive, including a sensational 64-yard field goal. The Lions are known for opting to go for it on fourth down under head coach Dan Campbell, but if they had the option to kick from distance instead of risking a possible turnover, the team was all for it.
Bates entered training camp as direct competition with Badgley—who appeared to be winning the battle early in camp. Bates was struggling, but then Badgley tore his hamstring in training camp, ending his 2024 season and giving Bates a more direct chance to win the job. Bates proved he was up to the task and was handed the keys to the starting kicker job.
Note: Stats are regular season only unless otherwise stated
17 games (17 starts)
Stats: 26-for-29 on field goals, 64-for-67 on extra points, longest kick from 58 yards.
20-29 yards: 3-for-3
30-39 yards: 10-for-10
40-49 yards: 7-for-8
50-59 yards: 6-for-8
Bates did well as the starter for Detroit, and his clutch gene had to be shown early on in the season. In the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams, Bates made a 32-yard field goal to tie the game with 17 seconds left. The Lions would go on to win in overtime, 26-20. His first game-winning kick was against the Minnesota Vikings, as Bates made a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds left, and the Lions would win 31-29.
His most memorable kick of the year was the game-winner against the Houston Texans, where the Lions came back down by 16 to win off a 52-yard field goal from Bates, beating Houston 26-23.
Finally, Bates also made a 35-yard field goal as time expired to beat the Green Bay Packers in December to win 34-31. So, in four games, Bates was...
