Detroit Lions re-sign kicker Michael Badgley

Make in 19 pending unrestricted free agents for the Detroit Lions. According to multiple reports, including Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Jordan Schultz of Bleacher Report, the Lions have re-signed kicker Michael Badgley to a one-year deal.

The team has officially announced the move. Terms have not yet been disclosed.

Badgley first came to the Lions in 2022, and he stabilized what had had been a revolving door at kicker. Over 12 games for the Lions that season, he went 20-for-24 on field goals and 33-for-33 on extra points.

The Lions re-signed Badgley in March of 2023, then he was beaten by the re-acquired Riley Patterson in camp. He eventually came back on the practice squad, and took the job from a struggling Patterson for the final four games this past season after winning a multi-week practice battle.

Badgley went 4-for-4 on field goals and 13-for-15 on extra points over the final four regular season games this past season. Then he made all three of his field goal attempts in the playoffs, including a franchise playoff record 54-yarder against the Rams in the Divisional Round.

Lions re-sign Michael Badgley; shouldn't be done at kicker

Even after he was re-signed last year, the Lions brought in competition for Badgley. John Parker Romo was added after kicking in the XFL last season. Patterson was acquired in May, and of course eventually beat him out.

Badgley is a solid kicker. But his limitations from longer distance and outdoors were a sneaky factor in Dan Campbell's fourth-down aggressiveness in the NFC Championship Game loss to the 49ers.

Ideally, the Lions won't just mine the UFL (the now-united USFL and XFL) or turn to a re-tread to add another kicker as competition for Badgley this offseason. Using a late-round draft pick on a kicker now most likely isn't happening, but competition should be added for Badgley and a new kicker could still come before Week 1.