Matt Burton might be contracted to the Canterbury Bulldogs until at least the end of the 2027 NRL season, but not for the first time he has entertained the idea of a stint in the NFL.
The world’s premier gridiorn league has seen a number of Australians find success abroad on enormous money that comes with the territory of playing major American sports.
Burton has previously caught the eye of talent scouts from the competition thanks to the kicking game he has become known for in the NRL, able to send kicks towering into the sky.
It’s a skill that is much needed in the NFL, and so it’s little surprise the supremely talented Burton, who could also find himself switching to the centres in 2024, has caught the eye of scouts abroad.
It’s a switch Burton has reportedly previously entertained, and he has done little to hide his interest in a recent appearance on the Let’s Trot Podcast.
“Maybe down the track,” Burton told the Lets Trot podcast.
“You never know.
“It’d be a mad job to go over there, kick the footy and get paid a motza. I’m a bit young now and it’s a big move. I don’t know.”
His agent David Riolo told The Bye Round Podcast with James Graham in 2022 that he could go to the USA and be a success tomorrow.
“Look, that is not on our radar at this stage. He has been approached by scouts to do stuff like that (the NFL combine) and kick,” Riolo said at the time.
“He could do it tomorrow the way he kicks a ball, but he wants to play footy and he is only young and has goals.”
Commentators regularly play Burton’s bomb kicking up for all its worth on TV coverage of games, but it’s certainly a discussion – no player in the NRL has a bomb to rival his.
The specialist roles in the NFL would allow Burton – or other NRL players for that matter – to enter the competition based on what they have shown in a vastly different sport.
Opportunities for American eyeballs to watch the NRL are increasing too on the back of the NRL’s call to play games in Las Vegas for the next five years, which will see all 17 – and potentially 18 by the time the deal expires – teams make the trip halfway around the world at least once to open the season.