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Louis Rees-Zammit will prove his doubters wrong on Friday by signing an NFL training contract which he hopes will see him help the Kansas City Chiefs to yet another Super Bowl.
After dramatically quitting rugby – the sport he grew up playing – to try and crack America, the former Wales wing’s next step will seal him seal a stunning move to the Chiefs and play alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Rees-Zammit’s rise in the USA has been remarkable.
By his own admission, he hadn’t played American Football properly before earning a place on the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP) earlier this year.
But after impressing the sport’s scouts on the IPP programme, Rees-Zammit received interest from more than 12 professional NFL teams including the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos.
Rees-Zammit’s final decision to opt for the Chiefs is unsurprising given the team coached by Andy Reid has won three of the last five Super Bowl titles.
Welshman Louis Rees-Zammit will sign a contract with the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday
Rees-Zammit will join the Super Bowl winners and play alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes
‘Louis has impressed the dozens of coaches and scouts who have met with him over the past few weeks. His athleticism and versatility make him a standout in the IPP programme,’ Miale told Mail Sport. ‘Louis has such an exciting trajectory right now. He’s an amazing athlete and great person. I can’t wait to watch him develop and excel over the upcoming NFL season.
‘The goal is to play on an NFL team and help to win a Super Bowl. Over a dozen teams had shown interest.’
On Thursday, bookmakers priced Rees-Zammit winning next season’s Super Bowl as a 25/1 shot. His training contract with the Chiefs is understood to be worth in the region of £700,000.
The Chiefs, coached by Andy Reid (centre), also have superstar Travis Kelce on their roster
‘Everyone’s goal is obviously to win a Super Bowl,’ Rees-Zammit told Mail Sport earlier this month. ‘But I need to find a team that’s right for myself and for the franchise. As long as the team has a good plan and we’re on the same page, that’s all that matters.’
He added: ‘I need an opportunity to show what I can do. I feel ready to be honest with you. I know what I’ve got to focus on and that’s training hard and learning everything I can in the classroom.’
Rees-Zammit’s aim while working alongside the likes of superstars Mahomes and Kelce will be to make head coach Reid’s final 53-man roster for the new season.
That is far from guaranteed and he will effectively be on trial in Kansas City.
But while Rees-Zammit, still just 23, has work to do, new NFL rules make it easier for foreign players to forge a career in American football.
This season, for the first time, all 32 teams will have an additional place on their practice squads for an international player.
Rees-Zammit turned the heads of NFL scouts while on the NFL’s International Player Pathway
NFL teams can carry 90 players during the offseason before finalising their 53-man roster. Rees-Zammit is looking to make the NFL grade as a running back, wide receiver and on special teams, where he could be used as a kick returner.
When he left rugby behind in January and on the eve of the Six Nations, his decision was criticised in many quarters. The consensus was that Rees-Zammit would soon return to his boyhood sport.
But the man who was the youngest player on the British & Irish Lions tour to South Africa in 2021 and scored 14 tries in 42 Tests for Wales as well as playing for Gloucester, has adapted quickly. Rees-Zammit’s remarkable pace is his outstanding attribute. But his power and running lines are also understood to have impressed the Chiefs and other NFL scouts.
There can be no doubt his signing with the Chiefs – who were catapulted to another level in terms of commercial appeal due to Kelce’s relationship with American pop superstar Taylor Swift – is a dream move. It’s the next stage on an astonishing US journey which looks like it still has plenty left to run.