“I Was a Brick Sales Rep”: Lions’ Jake Bates Reveals the Truth About His Transition Into NFL as a Pro Kicker
· Yahoo Sports
Jake Bates had a conventional beginning to his sports journey. He played for Texas State and then transferred to Arkansas and entered the 2023 NFL Draft. He went undrafted before being signed by the Houston Texans. But things took a detour after that as he had to take a job, which had no relation to the athletic world whatsoever. Years later, now playing for the Detroit Lions, he revealed the whole story.
Visit betsport.cv for more information.
“That story has been blown out, like way blown out of proportion. So I got released by the Texans, and I didn’t think anything was going to happen anymore. I thought like officially it was done. It was like, ‘Okay, well, I got to get like a real job.’ Just kind of did the whole LinkedIn thing, and it led me there. And it was like, it’s this brick-selling company; that part is true. So like technically I was a brick sales rep, but like I didn’t make it past training,” shared Bates on the St. Brown podcast.
“I was there for like three and a half weeks before I found out I was going to be in the UFL. Like I had just told my boss, like I was, I was done with football, like all this stuff. I’m ready to move on. He was like, ‘Okay, cool. Yeah, whatever.’ And then, like two weeks later, I had to tell him, ‘Hey, I actually, I’m going to have to quit. I’m playing in the UFL now.’”
From there, he found his way to the NFL.
Bates never attempted a field goal in college but earned an invite to the Texans training camp. After his signing in 2023, he was released by the team the same year during camp. That closed door pushed Bates to think of a life away from football, which brought him to Acme Brick company in Houston.
But the now-star kicker did not have to work the corporate job for long.
Opportunity came knocking the same year he was let go by the Texans. He was signed by the UFL’s Michigan Panthers, and after that, there was no turning back for him. He made 17 of 22 field goal attempts in the regular season, and four of six in the postseason. Soon, he became yet another player to have made the UFL-to-NFL pipeline after making a splash in the spring league.
The Detroit Lions signed him in June 2024 on a two-year contract. He started with 89.7% of successful field goals that year, dipped to 79.4% in 2025, and is now at an impressive 100%, nailing all 10 of his field goal attempts.
Entering the 2026 season, there was some concern about Bates’ prowess after a not-ideal preseason showing. However, head coach Dan Campbell dismissed them, saying, “he’ll be fine.”
And he has been. That one player who was not confident about his future after the Texans cut him is now basking in the fame after converting a game-winning kick during the Lions’ 20-17 win over the Green Bay Packers. Bates and the Lions began celebrating right after the kick, and Dan Campbell knew that it would comfortably bring them the win.
Bates connected on more than one field goal in a game for only the second time this season, making a 40-yarder in the second quarter and a decisive 22-yard kick as time expired to beat Green Bay.
“I got a full hundred, thousand, million percentage [faith] in Jake Bates,” Detroit wide receiver Jameson Williams said after the Packers game. “That’s one of my closest guys on the team. … I got the most ultimate faith in him. I watched it, you know, but I wasn’t anxious at all.”
From choosing to sign off on his football dreams for a corporate world to being one of the most trusted players on the Detroit Lions team, Jake Bates has come a long way.
Trending Articles
- Packers Star Christian Watson Rushed to Hospital After Ugly Collision With Panthers Rookie During TNF
- Outrage Erupts Against NFL as Referee Is Seen Holding Matthew Golden’s Hand After WR Punches Panthers Player During TNF
- “Wouldn’t Last a Day”: Female ESPN Analyst Gives Pat McAfee a Brutal Reality Check Amid Death Threats & Utah Controversy
- “I Can’t Ignore This”: Packers Legend Brett Favre, Diagnosed With Parkinson’s, Admits Terrifying CTE Fears
- Bears Reportedly Close to Ending Chicago Exit Rumors as Franchise Nears Signing Illinois Deal
The post “I Was a Brick Sales Rep”: Lions’ Jake Bates Reveals the Truth About His Transition Into NFL as a Pro Kicker appeared first on EssentiallySports. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.