The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed the signing of former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit on Friday.
Rees-Zammit shocked the rugby world when he quit the sport to pursue a career in the NFL and embarked on the International Player Pathway in January.
The 23-year-old held contract meetings with several teams before eventually heading up to Kansas City to sign a reported $884,000 contract with the Super Bowl winners.
The franchise confirmed the addition of ‘Rees-Lightning’ on social media Friday afternoon asking Chiefs Kingdom to give the Welshman a warm welcome. He will wear the No 9 jersey on Kansas City.
The organization appeared to confirm that the former Gloucester winger would play in the running back position as they look to bolster quarterback Patrick Mahomes‘s offense ahead of their three-peat quest next season.
The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed the signing of former Wales rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit
The Welshman is set to join Travis Kelce and co on offense as a running back
Rees-Zammit has put pen to paper on a deal believed to be worth $884,000 for three years
The Chiefs did not disclose the exact details of Rees-Zammit’s contract but NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported earlier on Friday that he is believed to have put pen to paper on a three-year deal worth $884,000.
‘Hey Chiefs Kingdom, Louis Rees-Zammit here. Just signed, can’t wait to go and see you all at Arrowhead,’ Rees-Zammit said in a short video message shared to the Chiefs’ social media.
Rees-Zammit joins the roster of the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions, who became the first team to retain the Vince Lombardi Trophy for almost 20 years last month.
The former British and Irish Lions youngster is also understood to have visited the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns and Denver Broncos after making a superb impression at the IPP with his pace and power.
In the end he opted for Kansas City, where he will undergo a summer training camp before the 2024 season begins in September.
When Rees-Zammit quit rugby in January, it caused disbelief – the announcement came around two weeks before his Wales team started their Six Nations campaign against Scotland, where he would have been key figure.
But in a scarcely believable turn of events, he now looks set to be lining up at Arrowhead Stadium for the Chiefs from September.
Andy Reid’s team were propelled to global fame last season when star man Kelce began dating Taylor Swift – with music’s biggest star cheering the team on in-person at 13 games, including the Super Bowl in Vegas.
Rees-Zammit will not be joined in the US by his YouTube-star girlfriend Saffron Barker after the pair announced their split last week.
Rees-Zammit joins the roster of the reigning back-to-back Super Bowl champions
The 23-year-old held contract meetings with several teams after impressing at the IPP Pro Day
Rees-Zammit stunned the world of rugby in January when he stepped away from the game
Now he will pursue a career in the NFL after agreeing to join the likes of Patrick Mahomes
But he will not be moving to Kansas City with YouTube-star girlfriend Saffron Barker after the pair announced their split last week
It comes just four months after the social media star and the sportsman made their first red carpet appearance together at The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes world premiere in November.
Unsurprisingly, Rees-Zammit’s rapid speed is understood to have impressed an array of NFL scouts.
He posted a 4.43 time in his 40-yard dash at the NFL’s International Pathway Program (IPP) pro day, as well as a 9ft 7in broad jump and 29-inch vertical jump.
And on Monday, it was announced that the ex-rugby player had signed a deal to be represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
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