Former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit has agreed to join the Jacksonville Jaguars, two days after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Welshman will join the practice squad and is listed by the franchise as a wide receiver after starting as a running back with the Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit, who is believed to be signing a one-year deal, had established himself as a rugby superstar before making his shock announcement this year that he would be quitting the sport. His family were in Kansas City to support him during his pre-season training camp with the Super Bowl champions.
“So happy to be here,” Rees-Zammit said on Instagram, alongside a photo of him putting pen to paper for the Jaguars. “Thanks for the opportunity. It’s time to go.”
And he appeared to be referring to his status as a running back by placing the “eyes wide open” emoji next to the “WR” letters on a screen displaying his name and position.
Louis Rees-Zammit has signed a one-year contract with NFL team Jacksonville Jaguars
The former Wales rugby star joined his new team for training on Thursday afternoon
The 23-year-old Welshman was released by the Kansas City Chiefs earlier this week
He was later photographed on Thursday at training wearing the number 84 shirt, a back problem that had hampered his final days at the Chiefs.
Jacksonville already has a loaded running back room with names like Travis Etienne, Tank Bigsby, D’Ernest Johnson and Keilan Robinson on the roster. Robinson is currently on the injured list.
During three exhibition games with Kansas City, Rees-Zammit carried the ball six times for 22 yards and caught the ball once for three yards.
His best performance came during a 34-21 loss to the Chicago Bears, where Rees-Zammit rushed four times for a total of 21 yards.
But he only ranked fourth on the team in rushing and overall that wasn’t enough to convince Andy Reid to make the team.
Rees-Zammit always had a tough job making the team in his rookie season. Although the Welshman has long dreamed of a career in the NFL, he had never played a game before joining the NFL’s International Player Pathway in January.
He went through a 10-week boot camp before impressing scouts at a pro day, and Rees-Zammit drew interest from nearly half of the NFL’s 32 teams.