Lions Re-Sign Kicker Michael Badgley
Michael Badgley spent the first part of the season on the Detroit Lions' practice squad. After being elevated in Week 15, he was perfect on his field goal attempts.
Now, he's returning to the Lions on a one-year deal, according to reports Thursday.
Badgley first came to Detroit in 2022, when he was signed early in the season after injuries to Austin Seibert and Dominik Eberle. He went 20-for-24 in his first campaign with the Lions.
He returned to the team in 2023 but was released in training camp after a competition that included Riley Patterson and John Parker Romo.
He returned to the team on the practice squad, where he spent the first 14 weeks. However, he beat out Patterson in a lengthy kicking competition and was elevated for the first time in Week 15 against Denver.
Patterson was subsequently released and wound up with the Cleveland Browns.
Remaining the kicker for the rest of the season, Badgley went 4-for-4 on field goal attempts over the season's final four games. He also made 13-of-15 extra points, with one of the misses being a block.
He made all three of his field goal attempts in the playoffs as well, including a 54-yard boot against Los Angeles in the Wild Card Round that proved to be the game winner in a 24-23 thriller.
In his career, Badgley is 98-for-119 with a long of 59 yards.
Despite the decision to retain Badgley, the Lions could still seek out more competition as they did last season.
