Jake Bates, a kicker for the Michigan Panthers in the United Football League (UFL), may have just secured himself another shot at the NFL after only two games.
Bates, 24, managed to score a 64-yard field goal in the first week of the UFL season - a new minor league launched this year after the XFL and United States Football League (USFL) were merged - to secure a win for the Panthers against the St. Louis Battlehawks.
In the second week, Batesconverted a 62-yard effort against the Birmingham Stallions on Sunday. His kick in the first week not only set an early UFL record but also surpassed previous records in the XFL and USFL predecessor leagues.
Bates was just two yards shy of matching Justin Tucker's NFL record of 66 yards, a feat accomplished in September 2021 when the Baltimore Ravens triumphed over the Detroit Lions with a score of 19-17. His impressive kicking has caught the attention of NFL teams.
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As reported by Detroit News, the Lions are among several NFL teams that have reached out to UFL to get in touch with Bates following his stellar start to the season. Bates initially joined the Houston Texans in 2023 but was let go after just two weeks.
Interestingly, Bates' record-breaking kick in the first week was his first competitive attempt since high school. He didn't kick once during college, focusing on soccer before switching back to football. He played two seasons at Central Arkansas in 2018 and 2019.
He then made a move to Texas State in 2020 to join the football team, but was only given kickoff duties. In an attempt to expand his role, he transferred to Arkansas in 2022, but found himself once again limited to kickoffs.
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However, he's since proven to both college and NFL teams that he was underestimated, emerging as another gifted kicker who transitioned from soccer. The Texans witnessed his skills firsthand, but after signing him on July 31, they let him go on August 12.
NFL squads are increasingly turning their attention to ex-soccer players when scouting for a kicker, a strategy that paid off for the Dallas Cowboys when they signed former MLS SuperDraft selection Brandon Aubrey. After his soccer career didn't pan out as expected, he started training with Mississippi State kicker and kicking coach Brian Egan thrice a week.
He was subsequently signed by the Stallions, now part of the UFL but previously in the USFL. His kicking prowess caught the eye of the Cowboys, leading to his signing ahead of the 2023 season after Dallas ended the contract of previous kicker Brett Maher.
In his first season, Aubrey successfully converted 36 out of 38 attempts, ending the year with a record-breaking 94.7 per cent completion rate for a rookie. His longest kick from the previous season was an impressive 60 yards.
* An AI tool was used to add an extra layer to the editing process for this story.