Jake Bates Went From Selling Bricks to Playing for Detroit Lions

Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates went from selling bricks in Houston after being cut by the Houston Texans to deciding NFL games in 2024, BILD reported.

Bates had nearly abandoned his football dream by the summer of 2023. The dream of the NFL seemed to be finished for the time being. After playing college soccer and later handling kickoffs at Texas State and Arkansas—where he never attempted a single regular field goal in a game—he went undrafted in the 2023 NFL Draft, according to BILD.

The Houston Texans signed him briefly before cutting him in August 2023. “I thought football was over, so I had to move on and do something else with my life,” Bates said of his brick-selling days in Houston. His path up to that point was already unusual, as he originally came from soccer and only later started with American football seriously.

In his 2024 season opener, Bates made a 64-yard field goal, which is roughly 59 meters, setting a UFL record, and finished the year making seven of eleven kicks from at least 50 yards out. His enormous shooting power quickly spread around the NFL.

The Detroit Lions signed Bates in June 2024 to compete with Michael Badgley.

In October 2024, Bates secured a victory against the Minnesota Vikings by kicking a 44-yard field goal with 15 seconds remaining, BILD reported. Later that season in Houston, where he had previously buried his NFL dream and sold building materials, he kicked a 58-yard field goal to tie the game and a 52-yard field goal to give Detroit a 26-23 win as time expired.

Today, the former brick salesman is under contract with the Detroit Lions and is responsible for keeping his nerve in decisive moments.

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