Lions fans beg UFL kicker Jake Bates to 'stay in Detroit'

Mike Moraitis

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Lions fans beg UFL kicker Jake Bates to 'stay in Detroit' image

There may be nobody in the UFL making more waves than Michigan Panthers kicker, Jake Bates, who has routinely been nuking field goals from 50-plus yards over three contests, including a pair from over 60.

After knocking through field goals of 64, 62 and 52 over his first two games, Bates was back at it again on Sunday, with his latest bomb coming from 55 yards. He also added a 46-yard make for good measure.

With those two successful attempts, Bates is now 5-for-5 on the season, but we're giving him credit for a sixth after he made the 64-yarder twice. His first try, which went through, was negated because of a timeout.

With his impressive start to the season, Bates has already reportedly begun drawing interest from NFL teams, with the Detroit Lions apparently being among them. It's worth noting that all of Bates' field goals have come at Ford Field, with the 64-yarder being the second-longest in the venue's history.

And Lions fans are already hard at work recruiting the kicker, who was met with pleas for him to stay in Detroit when he was leaving the field on Sunday following a 34-20 win over the Houston Roughnecks.

If the Lions truly want Bates as competition for Michael Badgley, they're going to have to wait to sign him until after the UFL season, which ends with the league's championship game on June 16.

That'll give the Lions more time to see if Bates' incredible run is for real or not. But the more field goals he makes, the more competition Detroit is going to have for his services.

Mike Moraitis

Mike Moraitis Photo

After cutting his teeth with Bleacher Report, Mike Moraitis has covered the Los Angeles Rams and Tennessee Titans for FanSided, and the Titans and New York Giants for USA TODAY Sports Media Group. On top of his duties with Sporting News, Mike is the managing editor and lead writer for Titans Wire.