Former Welsh Rugby player turned American football star Louis Rees-Zammit may be without an NFL team for now, but he knows just how his ex-superstar teammates feel about him.
The one-time Gloucester full-back is now believed to be considering his options after his contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars expired, leaving him without a team for the time being. Rees-Zammit signed with the Jaguars in August, joining their practice squad as a running back, after being waived by the Kansas City Chiefs.
The 23-year-old Welshman had initially joined the Super Bowl champions on a three-year deal after impressing on the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, but was released after failing to make the 53-man roster. However, while he assesses his next move, he can do so with the ringing endorsements of several of the game’s top stars – including that of iconic quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
Rees-Zammit played multiple positions during training camp with the Chiefs in a bid to demonstrate his versatility to try, something that didn’t go unnoticed. During his time in Kansas, it appears Rees-Zammit made quite an impression, with Mahomes once describing him as an “unreal” athlete, while the Chiefs’ head coach Andy Reid also sung the youngsters’ praises.
“We’re starting him at running back,” Mahomes said in July 2024.. “He’ll do a lot of special team stuff, and he can actually catch. So it looks different. He catches it like he’s catching a rugby (ball), but he never drops the football, so you don’t complain about it.
“And I think what’s been the best part about it is he works his tail off. The athletic ability is unreal. He’s got the toughness, but until he gets in the game and understands how to move and how to use that athletic ability, you don’t know exactly where he’s at. But [when] he’s in space, man, he can make stuff happen.”
While Reid added: “He’s so diligent with everything and wants to be so good at everything. I’ve appreciated that, and you could see the progress he’s made.”
Effusive praise for Rees-Zammit didn’t end there either. Chiefs winger Isiah Pacheco also chimed in, adding: “Adjusting to football is the talent. You’ve got to love the sport, and he loves it. He’s willing to do everything it takes to get better everyday.”
Leaving after making three pre-season appearances for the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit revealed that he had received a ton of support from his former colleagues in Kansas as he switched to the Jaguars. “I had so many messages from all of them wishing me luck. I’ve been playing the game for three months,’ Rees-Zammit said, as per talkSPORT.
“They just said ‘stick at it and keep working on what you can work on and eventually everything will work out’.” However It didn’t quite work out the way he planned, after the young star didn’t see a single minute for the franchise this season.
After joining up with the Jaguars, then coach Doug Pedersen explained that Rees-Zammit’s “opportunity” would come after being impressed by his agility on the field. However, the Jaguars failed to qualify for the play-offs after finishing second bottom of AFC South and Pedersen, the coach who gave the Welshman a second chance in the NFL, was dismissed following a poor campaign.
While the Jaguars have signed seven players to what are called reserve/futures contracts, he is currently not one of them. WalesOnline understands Rees-Zammit and his team are now ‘figuring out’ his next move, with the details of his future in the NFL looking increasingly uncertain.
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