Packers enter competition to add rising star

Bates is a star for the Michigan Panthers of the UFL. After a series of absurdly long kicks, including a 64-yarder, he was named to the All-UFL team in 2024. He finished the season with three 60+ yard field goals.

"I didn't know if I was going to be working my job selling bricks or if I was going to be able to play football," the kicker said after his first UFL game. "So, yeah, it feels good. I feel like I got that sense of relief once we got to training camp. It was like, 'okay this is happening, I'm with the team,' and getting the first game out of the way and getting a W feels good."

During the UFL semifinals, though, Bates injured his ankle and ended up missing two field goals (51 and 53 yards) and sending a kickoff out of bounds. The Panthers lost 31-18 to the Birmingham Stallions in the USFL Conference Finals, and the UFL Championship Game will be on June 16 between the Stallions and the San Antonio Brahmas.

Jake Bates converted 17 of 22 field goals (77.2%) in the regular season. With the Panthers' elimination, Bates can already start talking to NFL teams, and it looks like he will have several suitors.

Competition

The Green Bay Packers are still trying to find their answer at kicker. After letting Mason Crosby walk, the team drafted Anders Carlson in the sixth round last year, but he had a disappointing rookie season. So general manager Brian Gutekunst has signed former Georgia kicker Jack Podlesny and former Minnesota Vikings veteran Greg Joseph to create a competition.

"They're all working every day," special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia said during OTAs. "It's been a good competition. I think they're all getting better. We were inside for the beginning part, so we've had some inside days. Now we've had like four days of outside. Hopefully, it'll continue for a while."

The Packers kept the three kickers for the mandatory minicamp this week, but it's unclear how many of them Brian Gutekunst will want for training camp — and if one or two might get cut if the Packers win the competition to sign Jake Bates.

Before the UFL season, Bates hadn't kicked in real games since high school. He spent his collegiate seasons at Texas State and Arkansas as a kickoff specialist, and he spent just training camp and preseason time with the Houston Texans after going undrafted in 2023.