Louis Rees-Zammit is again facing an uncertain NFL future.
Just four months after choosing the Jacksonville Jaguars as the perfect team to develop his athletic talents, the former Wales rugby star is now set to become an NFL free agent.
A Jaguars spokesperson told talkSPORT that Rees-Zammit’s 2024 contract with the team has “expired.”
He is now free to sign with another team for the 2025 season, if he chooses to continue his attempt to play in the NFL.
Rees-Zammit has been a member of two organizations (Kansas City Chiefs, Jaguars) since deciding to leave rugby and try to make the NFL.
The 23-year-old Wales native has yet to play in the league or be on an active game-day roster.
“I knew this this journey was going to be tough,” Rees-Zammit said in October in an exclusive interview with talkSPORT.
“You get a lot of doubters within that and you try and not listen to them.”
Jacksonville fired Doug Pederson as head coach after a disappointing 4-13 season.
The Jaguars have discussed bringing Rees-Zammit back for the 2025 season but no decision has been made yet by the team or player.
LRZ initially chose to sign with the Chiefs after Kansas City won back-to-back Super Bowls.
He played multiple positions during training camp and the preseason, and was primarily viewed as a running back.
GettyRees-Zammit’s rugby talent is undeniable[/caption]
GettyHe played several positions with the Chiefs but failed to stick with the team[/caption]
GettyPromotional opportunities have been often but LRZ hasn’t taken the field yet[/caption]
But the Chiefs cut Rees-Zammit just before Week 1 and he chose to sign with the Jaguars, instead of potentially remaining on Kansas City’s practice squad.
Rees-Zammit also decided to switch positions from running back to wide receiver, complicating his transition as an NFL rookie.
To help him during the life and career changes, Rees-Zammit’s parents and brother moved to Jacksonville.
“I’m absolutely loving changing from running back to receiver,” Rees-Zammit said.
“I think it suits my my speed, getting out of breaks and stuff like that.”
Christian Wade preceded Rees-Zammit and also tried to pull off the impossible in the NFL.
The 33-year-old Slough native, who returned to rugby after four practice squad seasons with the Buffalo Bills, believes that LRZ can go farther than he did.
“One hundred percent,” Wade exclusively told talkSPORT.
“All it takes is … he needs to get the trust of his coaches. So they know, OK, we can put him in the game.”
When the Jaguars played back-to-back games in London in October, the former Wales winger was around the team during practice but never came close to the field in contests at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Wembley Stadium.
“You just try and focus on what you can control,” Rees-Zammit said.
“For me, that is working as hard as I can every day — on and off the field — to get an opportunity.
“It’s going to take time for me to learn this playbook. I’ve learned so much for the six weeks I’ve been here, but there’s a little bit more to go.
“I’m just trying my hardest, to be honest with you. It’s going to take a lot of time — it’s going to take time because these players, they’ve been playing for a lot of years.
“So for me to just come in and and start straight away, it’s impossible.”
Two months after acknowledging that it was ‘impossible’ to immediately start in the NFL as a rookie, Rees-Zammit has burned through two contracts in one season.
With the Jaguars in the middle of a pivotal coaching search, LRZ’s NFL future is again uncertain and he’s considering his options.
Rees-Zammit just needs one NFL team to believe in him.
He also needs to stick with a franchise and carve out a permanent spot in an unforgiving league that places a premium on proven football talent.
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