Louis Rees-Zammit’s career appeared to be mapped out.
The rugby union star had won a Six Nations crown with Wales after becoming Gloucester’s youngest Premiership player at 18.
He had even represented the British & Irish Lions, seen as one of the highest accolades in the sport, when he was 20.
Then in January, he ripped it all up to join the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP).
The gamble is yet to pay off on the field. He failed to land a place on the 53-man roster of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and is now awaiting his opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars on its practice squad.
But nine months on, his profile off the pitch has never been higher.
Rees-Zammit was a star within his own right in rugby union — in Wales, despite Wrexham’s global fame, rugby union still tops soccer.
As a rugby player with 32 international caps, the 6ft 3in (190.5cm) flying winger justified a self-named BBC documentary: Being Louis Rees-Zammit. He was also featured in the Netflix show Six Nations: Full Contact.
But his following now is loftier than most rugby stars, with 500,000 on Instagram. This dwarfs the following of his old club, Gloucester Rugby, who have 100,000 — and tops the English Rugby Premiership’s 396,000. This may have been boosted by former partner and influencer Saffron Barker — their relationship ended in March — who has 2.45million followers on YouTube.
Everything in the NFL is on a bigger scale. Jacksonville’s EverBank stadium has a capacity of 67,000, compared to Gloucester’s ground, which holds 16,000.
A quick look at his Instagram will find him on the cover of a Men’s Health magazine edition and a sponsorship partnership with UK men’s hair care brand Slick Gorilla.
To take advantage of these new opportunities, Rees-Zammit signed up with sports management agency Roc Nation, founded by U.S. rapper and entrepreneur Jay Z, in March.
Roc Nation negotiated the NFL contracts he has signed. First, with the Chiefs before he was then waived and signed to the Jaguars practice squad.
Rees-Zammit joined the Jaguars during their back-to-back London games for experience and development. After losing 35-16 to the Chicago Bears, the Jags face the New England Patriots at Wembley on Sunday.
He has even been seen mixing with Prince William and has become a marketeer’s dream. Only five players sold more NFL jerseys in the UK than him during his time at the Chiefs in June.
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“We are seeing a rise in athlete commercial deals with influencer status so not everything is club/team income dependent but athlete dependent too,” Christina Philippou, associate professor in accounting and sport finance at the University of Portsmouth, tells The Athletic.
“Rees-Zammit has carved a story for himself in the public consciousness so this can be used, although for how long is the question.”
Understanding this himself, Rees-Zammit said: “I try not to focus on the social media aspect of it. I am trying to focus on actually getting onto a team and working hard for that team because ultimately you do not get that limelight without playing well.”
Practice squad players with less than two years experience, such as Rees-Zammit, are paid $12,500 (£9,600) per week — per Pro Football Network.
If he does make a 53-man roster his earning potential increases exponentially, with the minimum salary for a first-year player being $795,000.
Outside of material gains, is Rees-Zammit happier for the switch?
“It is two different things — now I get to work hard and train all the different skills that are needed for me to be in a team,” Rees-Zammit said.
“I knew that I had to do a lot in rugby to be able to get the opportunity to do this (the chance in the NFL). When I was playing rugby my full focus was on rugby but in the back of my head, this was a massive dream of mine and one that I wanted to chase.
“Now we are here today and I am on the Jacksonville Jaguars loving every moment of it.”
Practice squads contain 16 players who do not play in games. They stand in reserve waiting for their opportunity to be elevated to the 53-man roster while improving their game.
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said: “Being on a practice squad you never know. You are a play or two away from being elevated to the roster. He should just continue to work and embrace his role.
“We love his skill set, his talent, his speed, his physicality, he has got great size and just continues to learn. If he can just be patient, the opportunity will come.”
The chance is most likely to come on special teams as a kick and punt returner but he has been training as a wide receiver too.
“One of the big things for me was finding a position that would suit me best,” Rees-Zammit said. “Unfortunately it did not work out at the Chiefs and playing running back, we figured out that probably was not the best position for me.
“Coming here and the Jags allowing me to play receiver I feel that position suits me a lot more. It allows me to use my speed more than it did at running back.”
‘Rees-Lightning’ ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine.
Louis Rees-Zammit #84 doing drills with the regulars at Jacksonville Jaguars practice in London pic.twitter.com/V5d7Uzhhai
— Eduardo Tansley (@TansleyEduardo) October 16, 2024
He is inspiring others to follow. Several English rugby union players have tried to move to the NFL with limited success. Christian Wade is the most high-profile example and Rees-Zammit is happy to share his advice.
“I have had a load of messages from players asking how the journey has been, how the transition has been.
“I think you are going to see a lot more rugby players come on the journey, whether that is the IPP or the NFL academy, going into a college in America then going through that process.
“I have spoken to a few rugby players who have asked for advice. I am just trying to inspire young kids and people who wanted to play in this league but never got the opportunity, that there is a pathway for it.”
(Top photo: Kin Cheung/AP POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
