Las Vegas Raiders could sign first Japanese NFL player
By Josh Hill
Toshiki Sato could become the first Japanese player ever in the NFL.
Move over Ichrio, there’s another trailblazer from Japan ready to take American sports by storm.
Twenty years after Ichiro stormed onto the MLB scene and became a pop cultural icon of the early 2000s, another Japanese player is looking to cross the Pacific and leave his mark on North American sports.
His name is Toshiki Sato, and he’s your new favorite punter.
Specifically, he might be your new favorite Las Vegas Raiders punter. Sato wowed scouts in a workout earlier this year and now reportedly has interest from the Raiders as well as the Dallas Cowboys.
If the NFL doesn’t end up working out, for whatever reason, Sato is still planning on taking his talents to North America but will do so in the CFL in Canada.
“I was also in touch with a Canadian team and got a pretty good feeling. I’d like to play in Canada and produce good results and take that as a step,” Sato said. “If I play in Canada I’ll be seen by NFL scouts, and I’ll get treated better at tryouts. There’s no downside.”
Sato’s chances of playing in the NFL seem to be pretty good, and he’d be a perfect fit with the Raiders. Jon Gruden is exactly the kind of coach who would make a bold move like this, and the Raiders have been in need of a solid punter since jettisoning Marquette King as part of Gruden’s initial purge when he took over the team in 2018.
Don’t think that Sato would be some sort of Vegas attraction, as he’s already in a winner’s mindset as far as his approach to the NFL.
“But it’s crucial for a kicker to be clutch considering how likely they can decide the outcome of the game,” Sato said. “It’s the only position where you can fight with your mental strength and not just your physical power.”
The NFL is still expected to start its season on time, and with both baseball and basketball returning in July the chances that Sato is able to suit up for Week 1 keep looking brighter and brighter.