On December 25, 2023, Bates signed with the Michigan Panthers of the UFL.[9] Bates's signing was one of several personnel decisions the league made based upon kickoff abilities (Donald De La Haye being another), as the UFL adopted a kickoff rule requiring the ball go 80 yards for a touchback, 15 yards longer than other levels of organized football.[10]
On March 30, 2024, during Week 1 of the 2024 UFL season, Bates made a game-winning 64-yard field goal against the St. Louis Battlehawks, the longest field goal in the history of both the UFL and its predecessor leagues,[11][12] five yards longer than the previous record set by Donny Hageman the previous year.[13] The first in-game field goal of Bates' life,[14] it is tied as the second-longest recorded field goal in professional football history.[14][15][16] Coincidentally, the lone longer kick—Justin Tucker's 66-yard kick for the Baltimore Ravens against the Detroit Lions in 2021—occurred under nearly identical circumstances and on the same field (Ford Field).[11] Bates, who had only attempted – and missed – one field goal before in his life (in high school),[14] had made the kick twice, the first being discarded due to the Battlehawks icing the kicker.[17] Bates would go on to, to date, kick two more field goals of 60 or more yards in 2024: an April 7 kick against Birmingham Stallions from 62 yards out, and a 60-yard kick against Arlington Renegades on May 5.[18][19] The ball Bates kicked on the 64-yard field goal is on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its "Pro Football Today" exhibit.[20] He was named to the 2024 All-UFL team on June 5, 2024.[21] His contract with the team was terminated on June 17, 2024 to sign with an NFL team.[22]
Detroit Lions
On June 18, 2024, Bates signed a two-year contract with the Detroit Lions.[23][24] Bates was one of only two UFL players to make a National Football League 53-man roster, out of 77 who participated in the NFL's 2024 preseason (the other being Jalen Redmond).[25]