'He has the talent' - Kane backed to become NFL kicker after soccer career

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Harry Kane has never made a secret of his desire to swap the football pitch for the gridiron, and now one of the NFL's biggest stars has given the England captain his seal of approval. Dallas Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey, who made a similar transition from professional soccer, believes the Three Lions legend possesses the "elite" striking ability required to reach the top of American football.

The ultimate cross-sport transition

England’s all-time leading goalscorer has often spoken about his ambition to become an NFL kicker once he decides to hang up his boots in Europe.

That dream has been given a significant boost by Aubrey, who recently signed a record $28 million contract with the Dallas Cowboys, making him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.

Speaking to talkSPORT, Aubrey spoke glowingly about the Bayern Munich striker's potential in the American game. When asked what advice he would give Kane in pursuing such a career, he said: "Continue to score goals. He's got a chance to be one of the all-time elite soccer soccer players or football players, I guess. He's a fantastic striker of the ball, so that'll age gracefully as a kicker, and he he has the talent if he wanted to do that. It's not quite as exciting as being a England's top goal scorer, so please keep going uh as long as you can."

Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys

Age concerns for the Three Lions captain

While the talent is clearly there, Aubrey warned that time might be the biggest obstacle facing Kane. The striker turns 33 in July and is currently in discussions regarding a potential contract extension at the Allianz Arena. NFL teams are traditionally sweepstakes-heavy when it comes to youth, even for specialised kicking positions.

"But yeah, all jokes aside, he can definitely do it whenever he wanted to," Aubrey continued. "But hopefully he's not too old. I have a feeling he'll be a little bit on the older side when he's done with soccer and NFL teams don't like to see uh too old of kickers to start."

From software engineering to NFL stardom

Aubrey’s own journey serves as the perfect blueprint for Kane. After being released from USL club Bethlehem Steel in 2018, Aubrey briefly stepped away from professional sports to work as a software engineer before training himself to become a kicker. His path to the Cowboys was unconventional, involving a stint in the experimental USFL before landing his big break in Dallas.

"Obviously I was drafted in 2017, played one year in the MLS, never made my official debut, played with the the two side, then played a season in the USL," Aubrey explained. "Played fairly well, but at the end of that season I was ready to be done, so I hung up the boots and started as a software engineer. Did that for three years. The whole time I was doing that, I was training to be a kicker. So it felt like for a while, you know, I had the ability if given the opportunity, but for a while it felt like that opportunity was never going to come. Luckily, the US likes to experiment a lot in sports and we had a experimental league, the USL pop up. Kind of a second tier, USFL, second tier football and I got a shot there."

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Current focus on World Cup glory

Before any thoughts of the NFL can truly take shape, Kane is focused on leading Thomas Tuchel's England side at the 2026 World Cup. However, the preparations have been hit by a bizarre security breach in Missouri. Police have confirmed that two subjects of interest were taken into custody after a team vehicle was targeted, with Kane's custom boots among the items reportedly stolen.

Despite the off-field distractions and the constant talk of a future in American football, Kane’s immediate priority remains delivering a major trophy for his country.