Louis Rees-Zammit, the former Wales rugby star who quit the sport in January to pursue a career in the NFL, is closing in on a dream move to join Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs.
According to multiple reports Tuesday night, Rees-Zammit is near to completing his move to the Chiefs after impressing on a visit to the team. Bleacher Report say that a deal will be signed on Friday and that he will play as a wide receiver or running back in Kansas City.
Rees-Zammit will become teammates with Travis Kelce, who is dating Taylor Swift, and Patrick Mahomes and form a new addition to an offense that will challenge for an unprecedent ‘three-peat’ next season under Andy Reid.
The Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers at the Super Bowl in Las Vegas in February, following on from last year’s triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles.
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.
Former rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit is set to sign with Super Bowl winners Kansas City Chiefs
The Welshman is set to become teammates with Travis Kelce at the Super Bowl winners
Rees-Zammit impressed NFL scouts at the International Player Pathway (IPP) pro day
But in a scarcely believable turn of events, Rees-Zammit now looks set to be lining up at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City from September.
The Chiefs 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.
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 23-year-old had signed a deal to be represented by Jay-Z’s Roc Nation.
Rees-Zammit has ambitions to play as a wide receiver – the one problem area for the Chiefs last season – as well as a running back and special teams. Exactly how Chiefs head coach Reid devises using him will be a great source of fascination over the coming months.
The New York Jets and Denver Broncos were also linked with a move for the Welshman – as well as the Cleveland Browns – before the Chiefs deal was struck.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Mail Sport earlier in March, Rees-Zammit was certain he would make his career switch a success in the United States.
The Chiefs were propelled to global fame last season when Kelce began dating Taylor Swift
Rees-Zammit heads to Kansas City with his influencer girlfriend Saffron Barker
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will bid to lead the Chiefs to a ‘three-peat’ next season
‘If I had any doubt in my head, I wouldn’t do this,’ he said. ‘You have to believe in yourself and you have to have full confidence in your ability. It’s such a cut-throat business that the margin for error is very small.’
Rees-Zammit made his Wales rugby debut in 2020 and was capped 31 times by his country. He featured in last year’s World Cup in France where Wales won all four of their group games before losing to Argentina in the quarter-finals.
He also left behind club side Gloucester, having represented the English Premiership team since 2018.
Rees-Zammit made the decision with the full support of his dancer-girlfriend Saffron Barker, who said on social media that she was ‘so proud’ of her partner when he made his January announcement.
She met Rees-Zammit on the celebrity dating app Raya and has over 1.8million followers through her work as an influencer.
The 23-year-old stunned the world of rugby in January when he stepped away from the game
Rees-Zammit has had to adjust to running routes as he learns how to play wide receiver
The Welshman has a tight-knit family, who now look set to move to Kansas City with him
If all goes to plan, she could even end up sharing a VIP suite with Swift and Brittany Mahomes next year.
He also told Mail Sport that if he landed on a team, he would move his family over from Wales to the United States.
‘All I try and do every day is make them proud,’ he said. ‘If I get a team, they’ll be out here living with me.
‘I gave them no option: “You’re going to have to come and join me because I can’t do it on my own!”‘