David Beckham, NFL Kicker? Team Wanted Tryout from Soccer Star, Report Says

Could recently retired soccer star David Beckham show up at an NFL stadium soon, with shoulder pads and a helmet?

According to a Daily Mirror story Tuesday, at least one NFL team was interested in giving Beckham a tryout as a kicker. The former Manchester United captain and midfielder recently retired from the Los Angeles Galaxy and Major League Soccer.

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Of course, there is a thought that having one of the world's most popular soccer players participating in America's most popular game would be no more than a public relations stunt. Not so, the Daily Mirror said, quoting an unnamed "source in Hollywood."

"A couple of scouts felt that David has the potential to become a kicker in the NFL team, and one actually put a call into him for a trial," the Daily Mirror quotes its source as saying. "It is no secret that David is one of the best in the business when it comes to accuracy and length in his passing. And he has stood on the greatest stages to perform magnificent feats with his feet.

"Major league kickers can send the ball 40 yards straight," the source continued, according to the Daily Mirror. "David has shown for the last 15 years he can do that week in week out. It was obvious too that if Becks took up the offer then any NFL franchise would be interested as his international appeal would generate billions in PR and commercial opportunities."

The Mirror said its source told the newspaper Beckham turned down the initial offer as not "right for him," but he could change his mind in a few months.

NFL training camps open in late July with the start of preseason games shortly afterward. If Beckham was serious, preseason games would be a proving ground to see if he had what it took to be an NFL field goal kicker at 38.

The NFL is interested in long-distance field goal kickers. According to The Associated Press in 2011, NFL kickers made 55.9 percent of their field goals from 50 yards or better in the 2010-11 season, one of the best percentages in league history.

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