SUMMARY
- Louis Rees-Zammit previously announced his departure from the Welsh national team.
- Recently, the Kansas City Chiefs decided to sign Louis Rees-Zammit.
Louis Rees-Zammit, who hails from the Vale of Glamorgan, has signed with the current Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The former star of Hartpury College will share the dressing room with Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
During his high school days at the Cathedral School, Rees-Zammit used to play rugby. The running back was named to the Cardiff Schools Team of the Decade in 2020. Rees-Zammit made his move to the college at the age of 16.
The youngster represented his nation’s under-18 rugby team and was also called up for the Wales senior team in 2020. With his fabulous potential, Rees-Zammit will significantly impact the Chiefs squad.
Louis Rees-Zammit joined the Kansas City Chiefs
The Wales international declared his wish to leave the rugby union and join the National Football League on January 16. Rees-Zammit is a player with excellent caliber and ability, and the Chiefs never thought twice about offering him a contract after hearing his wish.
Official: Louis Rees-Zammit welcome to the #Chiefs 👏🏻 https://t.co/yVDZJhvzgk pic.twitter.com/2xFoRHGND8
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) March 29, 2024
Currently, the 23-year-old will only be a practice squad member. If he proves himself and catches the attention of manager Andy Reid, he will make his place on the active roster. According to reports, the running back is offered a three-year contract and earns a salary of $750,000, which is the minimum amount for an NFL player.
A few sources also reported that the running back would earn a salary of $900,000. However, to date, the franchise has not officially announced his actual contract worth and duration. Whatever the salary will be, it should be more than he earned from his rugby deal, which was $616,000. The running back will join the summer camp and will be looking to secure a spot on the franchise’s active roster.
Louis Rees-Zammit’s stats and records in rugby
The defending Super Bowl champions’ new signing was a former member of the British and Irish Lions. For Rees-Zammit’s former club Gloucester, the running back made 69 appearances, scored 38 tries, and scored 190 points.
Meanwhile, the 23-year-old made five appearances for the under-18 Wales international team and scored 20 points. Rees-Zammit played 32 games for the senior team and scored 14 tries. The 23-year-old also participated in last year’s Rugby World Cup. At the tournament, he made five appearances and scored 25 points and five tries. He is known as a speed star and once recorded 24.2 miles per hour in a rugby fixture.
The running back was quite impressive on NFL Pro Day. He completed the 40-yard dash in 4.50 seconds in the first term and 4.44 seconds in the second term. Rees-Zammit performed a vertical jump of 29 inches and a broad jump of 9 feet 7 inches.
However, the bench press, short shuttle, and three-cone drill results are yet to be confirmed. The running back’s magnificent performance in his rugby career earned him the opportunity to play in the powerhouse of the NFL.