We're into the final days of 2024, a time when many of us take stock and reflect on the events of the past 12 months.

If your name is Louis Rees-Zammit, however, it must be difficult to know where to start.

The former Wales wing has had a whirlwind year to beat all others, having sensationally quit rugby moments before he was due to be named in Warren Gatland's squad for the Six Nations in January . In a stunning turn of events, Rees-Zammit informed the Wales coach, along with Gloucester boss George Skivington and, later, the rugby public that he was walking away from the sport to pursue a career in the NFL.

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"I think now is the perfect time, with my age and picking up a new sport. It's nothing about rugby, it's an ambition to make my dream come true and play in the NFL," he said in his first interview since announcing the bombshell news.

"As a little boy, my dad always brought me up to be a big NFL fan. He used to play American football. It's about continuing his legacy and go beyond, making him proud. It's the sport he grew up loving. I want to do that and make him as proud as I can."

Within a matter of days, Rees-Zammit had left Wales and headed to Florida to embark on a 10-week training camp as part of the NFL's International Player Pathway programme. Getting to grips with a new sport initially proved taxing for the 23-year-old, particularly playing with a helmet and pads on, but his natural athleticism and explosive pace saw him wow his coaches on the programme.

The intensive course all led to up to the IPP Pro Day in March, where the speedster put everything he had learnt over the past two months of training into practice, in a bid to impress 31 attending scouts from all but one of the NFL's franchises. Rees-Zammit was, however, disappointed with how he had performed on the big day, particularly with his 40-yard dash time of 4.44 seconds - having previously run 4.3 in training .

Nevertheless, it was clear that 'Rees Lightning' fever was already starting to spread in the US, with his agent telling WalesOnline that more than a dozen franchises were interested in signing him after impressing scouts with his speed and footwork. In the days following the Pro Day, he embarked on a grand tour around the US as he visited sides including the Cleveland Browns, the New York Jets, the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers.

However, it was none other than the reigning back-to-back Superbowl champions the Kansas City Chiefs who won the race for the Welshman's signature, as he signed a three-year deal with them.

Now counting superstars like Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce amongst his new teammates, Rees-Zammit admitted the experience was surreal, but got straight to work as he fought to keep his NFL dream alive. Having never played a down of American football in his life, he had a lot of catching up to do as he competed against players who had grown up playing the sport, forcing him to put in the extra hours.

He was put through his paces in pre-season as he sought to learn the Chiefs' extensive playbook, with coaches and his teammates all impressed with his diligence as well as his natural athletic ability. Having arrived as a complete unknown in the US, he proved popular with fans as they approached him on the street and asked him for selfies and autographs, while he even received a hand-written letter from pop superstar Taylor Swift - also Kelce's girlfriend - after he attended one of her concerts.

Rees-Zammit's hard work in training led him to make his debut against the Jacksonville Jaguars, which were followed up by two further pre-season appearances. He was deployed in a number of different roles during the games, but while he didn't disgrace himself, his performances ultimately did not look convincing enough for him to make the Chief's 53-man roster for the NFL season.

It had long been thought that the Chiefs may opt to put the Welshman in their practice squad. But it was confirmed shortly after the pre-season campaign that he had been waived, with the Jaguars then swooping in to sign him as he joined their practice squad as a wide receiver.

Discussing his 'brutal' axe by the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit said: "It's cut-throat. They've got a whole group of player personnel and scouts. They've got so many people for so many different position so you just get a text message.

"It's honestly just brutal. You're all in the building and you get a text to basically say can you bring your iPad and meet them in a certain room. That's when you know. If you don't get the message, you're in the team. If you do like I did, I got the message, went upstairs and spoke to player personnel. Had some positive chats with them.

"But at the end of the day, I wanted to play receiver. They've got a strong receiving group at Kansas City. The Jags allowed me to be on their practice squad which is amazing," he added.

"I didn't hear anything after I got cut but that's just the business. I knew how cut-throat it was. And now I've experienced how cut-throat it is. You just get on with it. I'm not going to beg them to say so it's just onto the next job. I'm as happy as ever at the Jags."

After that setback forced him to start over gain, Rees-Zammit has continued to work hard with the Jaguars, and has been told by his coaches to be patient in continuing with his development and his opportunity will come. He has faced criticism of late with things slowing down for him, but earlier this month posted a cryptic message on social media reading: "Trust the process. Great things take time."

Whether he will make it out on the field for the Jaguars any time soon remains to be seen - but if 2024 has taught us anything when it comes to Louis Rees-Zammit, it's to always expect the unexpected.