NFC North

Detroit Lions interested in NFL reject Jake Bates after 62-yard field goal in UFL

By Joseph McBride 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 …