Lions Kicker Uses Platform to Share Faith: ‘Doesn’t Happen Without Jesus’

Published: January 3, 2025

Lions Kicker Uses Platform to Share Faith: ‘Doesn’t Happen Without Jesus’

By Movieguide® Contributor

More important than his Super Bowl LIX aspirations is Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates’s mission to share Jesus with anyone and everyone.

In November, “Bates used his platform as an NFL player to spread his love of Jesus in  a prime-time interview on NBC  after lifting the Lions to a win over the Texans with a 52-yard field goal as time expired,” AP News reported.

A month later, the kicker reflected on the position God has given him in the NFL.

“This doesn’t happen without Jesus and by this, I mean any of this, like, living doesn’t happen without Jesus dying on the cross. He put us on a stage to glorify his name,” Bates explained.

He wasn’t always so open about his faith, but when he noticed Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud using his time on TV to credit Jesus, Bates began to do the same thing.

“What he’s been able to do in the media and spreading Jesus’ love has been awesome to see,” Bates said of Stroud.

God certainly has had His hand on Bates’ life. Two years ago, the athlete was about to start selling bricks as his full-time job.

“His hometown Texans signed him on Aug. 1, 2023, and waived him 11 days later to send him searching for a new career in the brick business,” AP News reported.

“I was still in training, so I hadn’t even sold new bricks yet,” Bates explained. “But that’s what I was getting ready to do.”

In 2023, Bates attended an XFL combine because he felt his time with football wasn’t over yet.

Bates performed well and was picked up by the “Michigan Panthers and made three field goals from at least 60 yards while playing for them in the United Football League, a team that shares the same home field with the Lions.”

Ultimately, Bates knows his life isn’t about football but about Jesus.

“I’m not here to make kicks or miss kicks,” he declared. “I think I’m here to spread the love of Jesus. So, however long he gives me this stage, that’s what I plan to do.”