Desperate teams sometimes do desperate things. It’s no secret the Chicago Bears are searching for an answer at kicker. Most agree it’s the one position on their roster that is a glaring weakness. This was made painfully clear back in January when Cody Parkey missed his 11th kick of the season and cost them a playoff victory. Now the team is pinning its hopes on second-year man Eddy Pineiro, who survived one of the most bizarre and grinding competitions in recent history.
Head coach Matt Nagy made it clear the team plans to give him every chance to cement his hold on the job over the next two weeks. However, there remains a possibility that Pineiro isn’t up to the challenge. Should that happen, what options do the Bears have? Odds are they would scour the free agent market for a veteran like a Matt Bryant or Kai Forbath or angle for a possible cut on the waiver wire from another team. Carolina’s Joey Slye being the popular name of late.
However, a recent development has raised eyebrows about another possibility. It came when the Philadelphia Eagles and Baltimore Ravens held joint practices. During the workouts, U.S. women’s soccer star Carli Lloyd was allowed to kick some field goals. She was predictably good, highlighting the performance with a 55-yard bomb right down the pipe. After the videos went viral, Lloyd admitted that she received some inquiries from interested teams.
Chicago Bears have every reason to not think it’s crazy
It sounds absurd on the surface. An NFL team signing a soccer player who has never kicked in an American football game to suddenly be their kicker at the highest level. Yet is it so crazy? Soccer players transition to that role all the time at the college level. Lloyd is 37-years old and quite used to playing in pressure situations, having helped the U.S. win both gold in the Olympics and the World Cup. She may be a woman, but so what? The talent and accuracy are hard to deny.
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There is also a financial incentive from her part. Women’s soccer players make a maximum of $85,000 a year. It’s little wonder they’re fighting for salary increases given their success. Either way, Lloyd would make a minimum of $495,000 was she to sign with an NFL team as their kicker. It would probably be more than that. Given her age and winding down career in soccer, this could be a lucrative opportunity.
Nevermind the immense bit of history such a moment would bring to the league. Lloyd would become the first woman to ever play in an NFL game. Virginia McCaskey would likely be delighted at the thought if it came with her beloved Bears.