In 2019, after a successful six-year stint in the Canadian Football League, Lirim Hajrullahu opted not to play another season of football in his adopted country.

Rather, he headed south – hoping to land one of the coveted (and high-paying!) place-kicking jobs in the National Football League (NFL). It was not an easy transition for him.

Regardless of how talented an athlete is, only 32 place-kicking slots – one per team – exist in the NFL. In 2020, Hajrullahu bounced around on three NFL “practice squads” but never got into a regular game.

He even played some semi-pro ball – without pay – in a l...