Louis Rees-Zammit has been given a vote of confidence by two NFL stars after revealing that he has ‘never thought about’ returning to rugby. The former Wales winger switched sports last January but was unable to make his mark straight away. He initially signed for the Kansas City Chiefs as a member of their practice squad, but failed to earn a place in their 53-man roster.
The 24-year-old was given a lifeline by the Jacksonville Jaguars but did not make a competitive appearance and was left without a team when his contract ended in January. He has since rejoined the Jaguars ahead of the new season in September, making it clear in a recent interview that he never considered ditching his NFL dream and returning to rugby.
“It hasn’t been in my head that I’m not going to do this,” Rees-Zammit told BBC Sport. “I’ve always wanted this. The second it [returning to rugby] creeps into your head you start doubting yourself and that’s not going to happen with me.”
Rees-Zammit has since received high praise from New York Jets linebacker Quincy Williams, who believes he stands a better chance of making it in the NFL than others who have moved across from the UK in the past.
“We also had another guy that came from over here and went and played for the Lions,” said Williams on the Off The Ball podcast. “He didn’t really make it up, but the other guy from the Chiefs, he’s good.”
Isaiah Davis, who also plays for the Jets, warned that it will take time for Rees-Zammit to adjust but suggested that his rugby background will help to ease the transition.
“It’s different if he’s come from rugby but also, you have to think he might have more skills than people who don’t play rugby or things of that nature,” added Davis.
“It’s a different perspective of how you want to look at it. I mean, I feel like everything just takes time. He might not have much time to develop but he’s surrounded by the right people. I think anything’s possible.”
It remains to be seen if Rees-Zammit will earn a place on the Jaguars roster ahead of the new NFL season, with the former rugby star delighted to get another chance to impress.
After signing his new contract with the Florida-based side, who finished third of the four teams in AFC South last year, he said: “I’m excited to extend my stay in Jacksonville by signing for another year.
“While I know it was a tough season on the field for the team, I think I made some great progress with my own game and I’m looking forward to continuing the hard work and advancing my skills even more, and I believe that Jacksonville is the place for me to do that.”
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source link
The post Louis Rees-Zammit gets fresh NFL verdict from New York Jets stars after second rugby snub | NFL | Sport first appeared on Rugby 247.
—-
Author : rugby-247
Publish date : 2025-03-04 10:12:37
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.