Lions kicker Jake Bates officially re-signs
Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates has officially re-signed for the 2026 season.
DETROIT, MICHIGAN - JANUARY 18: Jake Bates #39 of the Detroit Lions watches his kick during warmups prior to playing the Washington Commanders during the NFC Divisional Playoff at Ford Field on January 18, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Nic Antaya/Getty Images) | Getty Images The Detroit Lions announced on Wednesday that kicker Jake Bates has officially re-signed. This doesn’t really qualify as breaking news for Bates.
As reported a few weeks ago, the Lions placed an exclusive rights free agent (ERFA) tender on Bates before the start of free agency . That left Bates with two options: sign the tender or sit out the entire 2026 season. Clearly, he has chosen to sign the tender and he’s now officially under contract for the 2026 season on a one-year, veteran-minimum deal ($1.
075 million for Bates). Here’s how an exclusive rights free agent tender works. If a player is on an expiring contract, but has fewer than three accrued seasons in the NFL, his original team has the opportunity to place an ERFA tender on that player with no negotiations necessary.
That veteran-minimum deal can either be signed by the player or they can choose to sit out the season. Bates was signed by the Lions in 2024 to a two-year, $1. 98 million deal.