Las Vegas: Bulldogs star Matt Burton and his giant left boot has caught the attention of the NFL for a second time after he kicked a ball that slammed into the roof inside the Las Vegas Raidersโ training facility.
Several Raiders players could not believe the footage when they were shown on Tuesday local time, and quickly remembered it was Burton who casually booted a gridiron ball 62 metres โ an unofficial NFL record โ off a tee at Belmore on Super Bowl Day.
Burton has been on the radar of NFL scouts who are keen to know if he is serious about pursuing the sport once his deal with the Bulldogs expires at the end of 2027, when he will still only be 27.
His manager David Riolo told this masthead earlier this month: โThereโs already been some interest from NFL scouts โ itโs something he wants to look at down the track, for sure. Heโs off contract with the Dogs at the end of next year. I donโt think his rugby league journey finishes there, but he will not close the door on an opportunity if it arose in the NFL.โ
Two of the best-paid kickers in the NFL, Kansas Cityโs Harrison Butker and the Philadelphia Eaglesโ Jake Elliott, are 30 and 31 respectively and earn about $8.5 million a year. Burton, however, has more of an interest in being a punter if he does pursue the NFL.
Several NRL players in Vegas got the chance to tour the Raiders facilities, and even caught up with a few of their players, including Caleb Rogers and Thomas Booker IV.
Rogers, who is 195cm, weighs 140kg and ran 5.09 seconds over 40 yards at last yearโs NFL Combine, said Raiders punter AJ Cole had a โcannonโ, but did not regularly hit the roof when kicking like Burton did.
โWe specifically built this indoor area to the height it is so we stay away from that issue,โ Rogers told this masthead.
