Harry Kane is teasing the possibility of combining future MLS and NFL careers, having long held an ambition to translate soccer skills to being a kicker on the gridiron if the opportunity arises.
Kane is in the process of extending his contract with Bayern Munich, with an agreement confirmed by the player himself to be “fairly close.” The England captain turns 34 next summer and a new two or three-year extension up to the age of 36 or 37 wouldn’t be a surprise.
He has no intention of leaving elite soccer any sooner than he has to. “If people know I am still on the top of my game here with football, it is not a conversation that would be had,” Kane clarified, but trying out for the NFL is something he wants to “look at a bit more seriously.”
He added: “It all depends on what happens in my career over the next five or six years, the motivation and what I want to do.”
The 2026 Ballon d’Or contender sees it as “a lot more realistic” than his other sporting ambition—to make it as a professional golfer.
Kane’s love of the NFL dates back to 2011 when he watched a documentary about Tom Brady. He subsequently became a fan of the New England Patriots and now counts Brady among his friends. Kane even named one of dogs Brady and the other Wilson, after now-retired quaterback Russell Wilson.
What Would Make Kane a Good NFL Kicker?
Kane has spent his life kicking a ball. He kicks it hard, far and accurately. It might be a different shape and a different target, but the basic skillset and biomechanics are not all that different.
“I take penalties and it is a very similar pressure and technique,” Kane said, although he is not pretending it would be a straightforward transition.
“If I did that, in terms of training, I would be closer to that more than to any other sport. But as I know, with all elite sports, when you watch it on TV, people make it look easy, and you think it is possible, but that is not always the case. If I was to do it, it is something I would take seriously. I would take six months to a year to try and practice before.”
Kane wouldn’t be the first person from another sport to get to the NFL if he were successful. Football has many skill positions, but also offers opportunities for naturally gifted athletes to learn a role if they have the dedication. Even getting onto a practice squad is an achievement.
Louis Rees-Zammit was an accomplished rugby player for Wales before earning a place on the practice squads for the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars in 2024. Lawrence Okoye, an Olympic discus thrower for Great Britain, got onto the practice squads of seven NFL teams. It’s not uncommon to make a practice squad, but getting onto a full roster is another level of hard.
The best examples for Kane are soccer players who became kickers. Matt Bahr didn’t play soccer much beyond a collegiate level, a defender for Penn State in the mid-1970s. But he entered the 1979 NFL draft and was a sixth-round pick for the Pittsburgh Steelers. His NFL career lasted 16 years, until 1995, winning Super Bowl XIV with the Steelers and Super Bowl XXV with the New York Giants.
Right now, former Toronto FC center back Brandon Aubrey—he never made a senior appearance for the MLS team—is a three-time Pro Bowl kicker with the Dallas Cowboys. He played soccer in college at Notre Dame and didn’t enter the NFL until the age of 28.
Kane Teases Dual MLS-NFL Career
Major League Soccer has seen its international profile soar again in the years since Lionel Messi joined Inter Miami. Robert Lewandowski was the latest superstar to join the league this past summer when he signed with the Chicago Fire upon leaving Barcelona.
Kane wouldn’t rule out extending his soccer career by making a similar move. But, with age a factor and the NFL something he genuinely wants to try, maybe he could do both at the same time?
“Maybe if I am in the MLS in the future or somewhere like that it might be a thing where you could connect the two, with the seasons,” Kane mused.
That might once have been a more workable plan. The NFL season runs from September to February, making it one of the shortest across professional team sports. MLS currently runs from February to December. The overlap is therefore minimal—but MLS is changing.
To align with Europe’s top soccer leagues, 2027 ushers in a new era. The 2026 season will finish as normal, with the regular season wrapping in early November and the playoffs following until the MLS Cup on Dec. 18. Next year, there will be a shortened season from February to May that includes a mini-regular season and playoffs.
Then a 2027–28 season begins in late summer that is a more direct clash with the NFL. If Kane really wants to try it, his soccer career—by the time he’s ready for MLS would be winding down anyway—might need to be the sacrifice.
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