The Detroit Lions are reshaping their special teams, replacing a rookie kicker who was expected to win the starting job only weeks ago with a UFL star. As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on June 18, the Lions signed UFL kicker Jake Bates to a two-year, $1.98 million agreement. The contract featured $150,000 in guaranteed money and a $100,000 signing bonus, putting the former Michigan Panthers kicker in contention for the starting spot.
The Lions also confirmed the release of rookie kicker James Turner, who many believed was leading the race for the kicker position during the team’s early practices.
Rookie Kicker Impressed This Offseason
The Lions made an effort to find competition for incumbent kicker Michael Badgley, who spent the most of last season on the practice squad behind kicker Riley Patterson. After Patterson missed two extra points in three games, the Lions turned to Badgley, who was later rewarded with a new one-year deal in February. The Lions also brought in Turner to fight for the job, and Mike Moraitis of The Sporting News expected that the rookie would win the job based on his better practice efforts.
“Things have heated up in the kicker competition after Turner got the best of Michael Badgley during one of the sessions,” Moraitis wrote on June 11. “By all accounts, we haven’t seen Badgley get the better of the rookie yet, so the Michigan product is in a great position to grab the job ahead of training camp.”
But Turner didn’t make it to training camp, being released in order to make room on the roster for Bates.
