NEWCASTLE forward Cory Paterson will take the first step towards a career in American football this week when he jets off to the United States to try out for an NFL contract.

Paterson has sparked the interest of NFL clubs after they were sent footage of his kicking prowess. The 21-year-old can place-kick a gridiron ball 65 metres on the fly and his spiral bombs have a hang time of four seconds. Now he will get a chance to impress a number of clubs - including Arizona, San Diego, San Francisco and Oakland - in person on a tour organised by Australian-based scouts OzPunt.

"I'm looking forward to it, it should be pretty good," Paterson said. "Cameron [McGillivray from OzPunt] saw me kick off playing footy early in the year and asked me if I'd be interested in kicking an NFL ball. I had nothing to lose so I said, 'All right'.

"I got some footage done and I went all right so they sent it to a few clubs, who wanted another look."

Paterson is contracted to the Knights for next year but if he impresses the right people in the US there's every chance he'll swap his dreams of playing Origin for the Superbowl.

"It would be unreal to live in America and experience a different culture and live a different life," he said. "There's so much that's unknown to think about."

Paterson's manager Steve Gillis said he might insert an escape clause into his client's next NRL contract to allow for any NFL interest.

"Cory is keen to explore and learn as much as he can about the NFL and the professionalism it brings during his trip," Gillis said.

"We are still yet to open discussions with the Knights beyond season 2009 so he is in a genuine position to give the NFL some serious consideration."

In the NRL the salary cap limits the highest earners in the game to about $600,000. That's less than the minimum wage for kickers in the NFL. "It would be massive money but it's not all about that," Paterson said. "I'll weigh up my options."