NFL notes: Female kicker gets a tryout

NFL notes • Former soccer player going to a regional combine.

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Lauren Silberman has scant chance at making the NFL.

Silberman never kicked anything more than a soccer ball in an organized game and she just started practicing long-range field goals.

Even so, the first female kicker scheduled to try out at an NFL regional scouting combine would like to see where her new hobby will take her.

In an era where Danica Patrick can contend against men in motor sports, Silberman is about to take a big kick forward for female athletes, even if the odds are clearly stacked against her. The 28-year-old Silberman will kick Sunday at the New York Jets' training facility in Florham Park, N.J.

"I realize that I may not make an NFL team this year," Silberman told NFL.com. "But for me, I'm expecting to have fun, to meet really interesting people and hopefully perfect my technique from the other tremendous kickers that will be in attendance."

Her goal for the weekend is a true long shot: perfect 60-yard field goals.

Odds are, though, that scouts will want to see her connect on extra points and chip-shot field goals with some consistency before moving on to the heavy kicking. Silberman hasn't treated the tryout like a publicity stunt.

But Silberman, whose NFL.com bio listed her as a former club soccer player at Wisconsin, seems to understand what she's up against. More likely, she wanted to use the weekend as an opportunity to promote greater diversity in football.

"It would be a great opportunity to attract more women to the sport," she said. "Hopefully, I'll have a good line that won't let anyone through to tackle me."

Report: Salary cap going up to $123M

The NFL salary cap for the 2013 season will rise to $123 million from $120.6 million in 2012, an NFLPA official familiar with negotiations over the figure said. The increase, which is larger than some in the NFL had anticipated, is a result of greater-than-expected revenues last season — primarily from NFL Properties — and a jump in projected league revenues, according to the official.

Around the league

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Cowboys • Dallas reworked the contracts of five starters, including DeMarcus Ware, Jason Witten and Miles Austin, to save $20 million in salary cap space.