Jake Bates seems to be the answer the Detroit Lions have been searching for at kicker for years. As of Week 17, he is 58-for-59 on extra points and 23-for-26 on field goals (two misses from 50 yards or more out) so far this season. Despite some early setbacks, the Lions remained patient with him, and it has greatly paid off.
The story of Bates is now widely known. Prior to making a field goal with the Michigan Panthers in the UFL this spring, he hadn’t tried one since high school. When the UFL season ended and he was free to sign, he used his impressive performance in that league to attract interest from NFL teams, and naturally, the Lions grabbed him.
Spring football leagues have come and gone over the decades, but the unification of the USFL and XFL into the UFL for the 2024 season appears to have worked very well and it feels sustainable. The league can be an easy breeding ground and de facto minor league for the NFL, cultivating potential coaches and giving players an opportunity to showcase themselves.
UFL can and should use Jake Bates to promote itself
Bates’ 64-yard game-winning field goal for the Panthers against the St. Louis Battlehawks in Week 1 of the UFL season back in March immediately put him on the radar of NFL teams in need of a kicker, including the Panthers’ home stadium of Ford Field.
Bates is one of the UFL’s biggest success stories, and if the league can survive for a while, it’s safe to say he won’t be the first. Making the league attractive to players seeking a chance—or a second chance—in the NFL is the only way to support the attempt to stay. As the 2025 season draws near, Bates is, to be honest, a low-hanging fruit for the UFL to market itself. Although ABC and ESPN are also UFL television partners, the league’s video this week emphasises FOX and FS1 as showing games at the end of it. However, the overall marketing message remains consistent.
“All you need is one shot”—”and the UFL can give it to you”—quite fitting. That is demonstrated by Bates, who, after being given a chance in the UFL, has emerged as one of the NFL’s top kickers this season. Right now, the spring league has no stronger selling point.