Details of Jake Bates’ contract: implications for Lions kicker battle
Bates made a big impression on the football scene during his UFL debut, winning the Panthers’ inaugural game at Ford Field with a 64-yard field goal. After finishing the regular season with a record of 17–22 and numerous other “big leg” kicks of 50–60 yards, he attracted the interest of several NFL teams.
Bates received a two-year contract as a result of the competition for his services, which raised the price a little. However, considering the overall guarantees in his contract, he will still have to work hard to gain a spot on the Lions squad.
Let’s examine the breakdown of the contract:
2024: $895,000.
Base pay: $795k with a guaranteed $50,000
Signing bonus: guaranteed $50,000
Bonus for roster: $50,000
Maximum hit: $895,000
$1.085 million in 2025
Base pay of $960,000
Signing bonus: guaranteed $50,000
Bonus for working out: $75,000
Maximum hit: $1,085,055
Bates is guaranteed a total of $150,000 in compensation, even if he is not selected by the Lions. However, he can receive up to $1.98 million in salary if he makes the team and plays for two seasons.
His deal is in the middle of that of the two kickers the Lions have on their roster, which helps put those amounts into perspective. According to OverTheCap, Michael Badgley’s one-year contract is worth a total of $1.152 million, including $425,000 in guarantees. According to OverTheCap, rookie kicker James Turner has a four-year undrafted free agent deal worth $795,833 with a 2024 cap hit and $2,500 in guarantees. Moreover, Bates’ contractual guarantees would rank him third in the Lions UDFA rookie class if he were a UDFA (like Turner).
It’s a reasonable contract all around for both parties. Bates will have the opportunity to prove himself throughout training camp by making the Lions’ 53-man roster, and Detroit won’t take a significant financial cost should Bates be cut if he doesn’t make the cut.
The 2024 kicker war is about to begin.
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