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Carli Lloyd reportedly offered chance to play in NFL game after viral field goal

After her 55-yard field goal in a Ravens-Eagles practice went viral, the soccer star was approached by multiple NFL teams, according to a report.
/ Source: TODAY

After nailing a 55-yard field goal at an NFL practice last week, two-time World Cup champion Carli Lloyd reportedly was offered a chance to play in a preseason game.

According to Fox Sports, Lloyd was approached by multiple unnamed NFL teams after her field goal at a Baltimore Ravens-Philadelphia Eagles joint practice last Tuesday went viral. One of the teams even offered the U.S. soccer star a spot on its roster during its final preseason game this Thursday, according to her trainer, James Galanis.

Galanis said Lloyd was interested, but the U.S. women's national team has a match against Portugal scheduled for the same night. Accepting the offer would have made her the first woman to play in the NFL.

"They were willing to put her on the roster," Galanis told Fox Sports. "She was told (she could) play on Thursday, the NFL game, but she is playing Thursday with the national team, so that was the conflict."

Lloyd herself told Fox Sports she is "seriously considering" the possibility of playing in the NFL.

"I am having discussions with my husband and (Galanis) about the reality of playing in the NFL," Lloyd said. "They both feel that I could do it and should consider it. So I'm seriously considering it, as it's a challenge (and) I would probably enjoy it."

Lloyd told NBC Sports she believes she could be a successful kicker in the NFL.

"I know that I could actually probably do it," she said. "Put on the helmet, strap on the pads, go for it. The mindset I have, I think with practice, I know I have to work on my steps and my technique, but I think I could do it and do it well. It could be a huge pivotal moment. There is no reason why a woman could not do this."

Many people on Twitter agree.

"Honestly, I don't think it will be long before we see a woman break through this NFL barrier," wrote Gil Brandt, who spent almost 30 years serving as the Dallas Cowboys' vice president of player personnel. "I'd give her an honest tryout if I were, say, the Bears."

Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker praised Lloyd's skills in an interview shared by the team.

"It was really impressive seeing her knock down a 55-yarder like it was nothing," Tucker said. "(Ravens assistant special teams coach) Randy (Brown) asked her, 'Hey, you need to get a little warmup or anything?' She's like, 'Nah, I'll just ease into it.' She just started kicking balls, and by the third or fourth one they were all hitting three-quarters of a way up the net on the skinny uprights. Those uprights, by the way, they're a nine-foot goal, they're half the (standard) size. ... It was pretty impressive."

Lloyd told NBC Sports she would love the opportunity to be the first woman to play in the NFL.

"With practice and someone showing me, I know I can do it," she said. "I have one of the most accurate shots in our game. Big thing would be getting used to the big boys out there. But nothing scares me. You hold yourself back if you're afraid. What's the worst that can happen? I don't make the team? Let's just say I did try. Maybe I change the landscape a lot."