Carli Lloyd Says 'Anything Is Possible', Confirms NFL Offers

United States women’s soccer team captain Carli Lloyd in the National Football League (NFL) as a kicker – how would that sound? It remains unlikely at the moment but stranger things have happened and one can never say never, especially when the soccer player confirmed that she had got offers from two franchises.

It all began when Lloyd, a two-time FIFA women’s World Cup champion, scored a 55-yard field goal while at a practice session with the Philadelphia Eagles on Aug. 21. The video showed her kicking the football right down the middle and completing her kick in the first attempt and that video immediately went viral.

The 37-year-old, who is a lifelong Eagles fan, was in town for the US women’s team’s friendly against Portugal. Lloyd admitted to Lindsay Rhodes on "NFL Total Access" that she would have entertained the idea of kicking in an NFL pre-season game if she did not have a soccer game scheduled on the same day, which obviously is her first priority.

However, Lloyd’s field goal seems to have impressed many within the NFL as she revealed that her agent fielded as many as two offers to join the unnamed NFL franchises. She made it clear that soccer was her first priority but admitted that she did not expect one video of a 55-yard field goal to generate so much interest and buzz across the world.

“Pretty serious," Lloyd told Rhodes when asked about the two offers on the table. "Like I said, I have a game this Thursday, which I happen to be playing in Philadelphia. It's not something I would've passed up. First and foremost, I am a soccer player. But it's been crazy. A casual day, me just having some fun, being competitive and kicking field goals went to being the most talked-about news around the globe. It's just crazy how all of that works."

Obviously, the reactions to Lloyd receiving offers from NFL franchises were mixed, with many praising her and giving her a shot at making the step to the NFL as a kicker while there were an equal number who thought the idea was ridiculous owing to her gender and size compared to her male counterparts in the NFL and her general lack of experience in the sport and Lloyd was well aware of the obstacles standing in front of her if she ever thought of becoming a kicker for an NFL franchise.

"Look, there's no denying that. I know that there's some challenges involved with this and I know that there's probably some players and people and everybody around the globe thinking this is the craziest thing," Lloyd told Rhodes. "But then I also see it from the one perspective of maybe this is kind of something that's going to break down some barriers and give people, women especially, the confidence to know that maybe they can be a part of any NFL team as a kicker."

"I mean, I'm not trying to be a running back or a quarterback; that would be an epic fail. But I do know that I could kick a ball pretty well and I pride myself in my technique and really it's all about getting it up and over. I know that there's loads of people that are saying, you know, big men coming at you. I don't know. I'd have to seriously go out to the field. Helmet, pads, two-step, really get the technique down, really practice it and then kind of see from there if it's possible."

And despite being aware of the challenges facing her if she wants to make the switch to the NFL, Lloyd is not one to say it will never happen. She believes “anything is possible” and that there always has to be a first.

"There's actually a lot of people out there who are rooting for me and who are wanting me to try to do it," Lloyd said. "I've had other girls that have played for their youth teams or high school teams as a kicker and I've gotten messages saying that I've given them the confidence to go for it even more."

"But we live in a different time in this world. I think anything is possible. I think somebody's got to be the first one, right?"