Jake Bates explains why Detroit Lions were the best fit for him

As UFL star and former Michigan Panther kicker Jake Bates was drilling ridiculously long field goals during the season, Detroit Lions fans were hoping their team would sign him.

And they finally got their wish last month, when the Lions beat out multiple teams to land the big-legged kicker in free agency following the conclusion of the 2024 UFL season.

So, why did Bates choose the Lions? He recently touched on that during an appearance on the "Lone Wolves" podcast.

“Detroit really felt like home, even outside of all that (attention), it felt good,” Bates said. “And there’s no real words to describe what that feeling is, it just felt good. The people there were awesome. Obviously, you can’t let yourself listen to that too much because you never know. But, no, it was awesome.”

“I think there was a lot of things that went into it,” Bates added later. “There’s a whole thing that after everything that happened and we went through that whole process, my agent and I sat down — and he was super helpful through everything — there’s just a bunch of different things. Every situation is different. That’s just where we felt most at home, most comfortable.”

Something else that obviously factored into Bates' decision was the opportunity to start in Detroit. Bates is set to compete for the starting job against veteran Michael Badgley, who apparently did enough over the spring to be the preferred choice over UDFA James Turner, who was waived in the wake of the Bates signing.

While Badgley obviously has the advantage in experience, Bates has the big leg the Lions are looking for. However, he's going to have to prove he can consistently make kicks if he wants to unseat Badgley as the starter in training camp.