Rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit is going to sign with Kansas City on Friday, per a report.
According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the Kansas City Chiefs will be signing former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit to an NFL contract on Friday. Rees-Zammit had previously scheduled visits with the Denver Broncos, Cleveland Browns and New York Jets before taking the trip to Kansas City. It was reported on Tuesday that Rees-Zammit would visit the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. At the moment, it’s uncertain whether or not he’ll make that flight to Wisconsin.
So what’s all the hype around a player who has never suited up for a football game? Well, Rees-Zammit is a 23-year-old who not only played professional club rugby but also was a member of the Welsh national team. In January, he decided to transition to American football, joining the NFL’s International Player Pathways Program — a 10-week training program in Florida.
At his pro day on March 20th, he managed to run a 4.43-second 40-yard dash, which drew interest from NFL teams. Since his pro day, he’s been eligible to sign as a free agent — making him the first IPP player to sign a true free agent contract, rather than being allocated via the IPP process or being drafted in the traditional NFL draft.
Per Schultz, Reed-Zammit will be looked at as both a receiver and running back. There are probably a couple of reasons why he ended up choosing the Chiefs over the Packers. First of all, Kansas City is coming off of back-to-back Super Bowl wins, which is a hell of a recruiting tool. Secondly, the Chiefs don’t have the young stars at the receiver position that Green Bay does. On top of that, the Packers not only gave a big payday to running back Josh Jacobs, but AJ Dillon, who has recorded at least 170 carries in each season over the last three years, returns to the team in 2023.
So if Green Bay is going to add an IPP player this season, expect it to be one of Bayron Matos or Travis Clayton, two offensive line prospects, via the NFL draft. The NFL has yet to announce which squads will be allocated international players through the traditional IPP process, but it’s unlikely that the Packers will be one of them — as they were awarded pass-rusher Kenneth Odumegwu in 2023.
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