Featured Image Credit: Getty and LouisReesZammit
Topics: Rugby, NFL, Super Bowl, Wales
Alex Brotherton
Topics: Rugby, NFL, Super Bowl, Wales
A former rugby player is set to sign a huge deal with the Super Bowl champions after quitting the sport to join the NFL.
Louis Rees-Zammit was a rugby union right winger for Gloucester and Wales, and was even selected to take part in the British & Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021.
He looked to have a long career ahead of him, but in January he announced his decision to quit rugby union in a bid to make it in American football.
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Rees-Zammit announced his departure less than an hour before Wales boss Warren Gatland named his squad for the 2024 Six Nations.
Now, just 10 weeks after joining the NFL's International Player Pathway, the 23-year-old is reportedly set to sign a deal with Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs.
The Chiefs have been the league's dominant team in recent years, playing in four of the last five Super Bowls and winning three of them.
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Rees-Zammit has visited several NFL franchises this week, including the Chiefs, Denver Broncos, Cleveland Brown and New York Jets, impressing coaches with his speed and footwork.
On Tuesday, he signed with Jay-Z’s sports agency RocNation.
The Welshman is expected to play a hybrid offensive role for the Chiefs, alternating between wide receiver and running back.
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He'll join the franchise in time for pre-season, although that does not necessarily mean he will be playing alongside the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce in the 2024 season.
NFL teams can use up to 90 players in pre-season, but Rees-Zammit will have to show he is worthy of a place on the final roster, which will be cut down to 53 players in August.
If he makes the cut then he would earn at least the minimum rookie salary of around £595,000, over double his wage at Gloucester.
Even if he doesn't make the final roster, the former rugby star could secure a place on the team's 17-man practice squad.
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Practice squad members can be called up to play in any given week and earn at least £170,000 in their first season.