Louis Rees-Zammit flies in to America to decide future and attend Super Bowl
Louis Rees-Zammit has flown back to the United States with his future in the NFL still undecided.
The former Wales wing has been weighing up his options after being offered a new contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars last month. His initial deal, which saw him join the franchise's practice squad in August after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs, had expired days before the new contract offer was made, leaving him as a free agent.
While the Jaguars are believed to be keen to keep hold of the 24-year-old and have him as part of their training camp ahead of next season, Rees-Zammit is still figuring out what he wants to do next. He is now set to hold talks with his representatives.
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After a holiday to Thailand with his brother Taylor, the Welshman has spent some time back in the UK but on Thursday revealed that he was heading back to the US for a very special event.
Taking to Instagram, Rees-Zammit shared a photo of him putting his feet up in business class on a British Airways flight, with the caption reading: 'Super Bowl bound!'.
The showpiece event of the NFL season, and one of the biggest events in world sport, this year's Super Bowl is taking place in New Orleans and will see the Chiefs take on the Philadelphia Eagles as they go in search of a historic 'three-peat', having won the title in 2023 and 2024.
It has not been confirmed in what capacity Rees-Zammit will be attending the match, although he will likely be cheering on his former side, having forged close friendships during his summer with the Chiefs. He may also take inspiration from the Eagles' offensive tackle Jordan Mailata, who went from rugby league to becoming one of the highest paid players in the NFL.
Rees-Zammit has previously spoken of his dream of winning American football's ultimate prize, but his Jaguars side fell well short of this year's play-offs as they finished second to bottom in the AFC South. While he impressed his coaches following his arrival in Jacksonville, he did not feature for the side over the course of the season as he continued his development.
However, Mailata has this week urged Rees-Zammit not to give up on his NFL dream, explaining: "Everyone is going to face a hurdle at some point. You have to want to jump over that hurdle. I want Louis to keep going. It's not over yet, son."
He has also received support from the Chiefs, with assistant head coach and special teams coordinator Dave Taub telling AFP: "I love him. I really like him. He was a hard worker. He didn't have the base fundamentals that these guys have. They've been playing football since fourth grade. He was just starting. The football instincts, that's where he kind of lacked.
"Athletic skills? He had them everywhere," he added. "Those little small intangibles that he didn't have, it's going to take time. I hope he doesn't give up. I hope he keeps trying to achieve his goal of playing American football.
"These guys have been playing for years. Then you get thrown into that. There's going to be a learning curve for him. Again, I hope he doesn't give up. I think after two or three years, if it doesn't click by then, time to go back to rugby."
