Louis Rees-Zammit’s career seems to be in order. The rugby union star won the Six Nations title with Wales after becoming Gloucester’s youngest Premier League player at the age of 18. He even represented the British and Irish Lions at the age of 20, which is considered one of the highest honors in the sport. In January, he went all out to join the NFL’s International Player Pathway (IPP).
The bet has yet to pay off on the field. He was not named to the 53-man roster of the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and is currently on the practice squad awaiting his opportunity with the Jacksonville Jaguars. But now, nine months later, his off-field reputation is better than ever.
Rhys-Zammit was a star in his own right in rugby union. In Wales, despite Wrexham’s global reputation, rugby union still trumps football. As a 32-capped rugby player, the 190.5cm flying wing was eligible to be featured in a BBC documentary of the same name, ‘Becoming Louis Rhys-Zammit’. He also appeared in the Netflix series Six Nations: Full Contact. But now he has more followers than most rugby stars with half a million on Instagram. This surpasses the 100,000 followers of his former club Gloucester Rugby and the 396,000 of English Premier League rugby. This may be because his former partner and influencer Saffron Barker, with whom he ended his relationship in March, has 2.45 million subscribers on YouTube.
In the NFL, it all comes down to size. Jacksonville’s EverBank Stadium seats 67,000, compared to Gloucester’s 16,000. A quick look at his Instagram will reveal that he has appeared on the cover of Men’s Health magazine and is sponsored by British men’s hair care brand Slick Gorilla. To capitalize on these new opportunities, Rees-Zammit signed a deal with Roc Nation, a sports management agency founded by American rapper and businessman Jay-Z, in March. Roc Nation negotiated the contract signed with the NFL. Signed to the Chiefs and Jaguars practice squads before being cut.
Rees-Zammit joined the Jaguars for back-to-back games in London for experience and development. After losing 35-16 to the Chicago Bears, the Jags are scheduled to play the New England Patriots at Wembley on Sunday. She also connected with Prince William and became a marketer’s dream. Only five players have sold more NFL jerseys in the UK than during their time with the Chiefs.
“Commercial transactions for athletes with influencer status are increasing, so not only the success of the club/team is important, but also the success of the athlete,” says Cristina Filippou, associate professor. accounting and sports finance. university. Portsmouth, to Athletic. “Rees-Zammit can use it to create a narrative in the public’s mind, but the question is how long it will last.” Rhys-Zammit himself understands this. “I try not to focus on the social media aspect. I’m just trying to focus on joining the team and working hard for that team. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t play well, you won’t get much attention.”
According to the Pro Football Network, players in the squad with less than two years’ experience, such as Rees-Zammit, earn $12,500 (£9,600) a week. If he were on the 53-man roster, his salary potential would increase exponentially, with a first-year minimum player salary of $795,000. Apart from the material benefits, is Rees-Zammit happy with the change? “Now they are two different things. Now I can teach them all the skills they need to work hard and join the team,” said Rees-Zammit. “I knew I had to put in a lot of work to get that opportunity in rugby (an NFL opportunity). When I was playing rugby, I was focused on rugby, but there was a big dream in my heart and I really wanted to achieve it.
“Now here we are today and I love every moment of the Jacksonville Jaguars.”Training squads are made up of 16 non-match players. They are on the bench waiting for a chance to make the 53-man roster while they improve their game. Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said, “When you’re on the practice squad, you never know if you’re one game or two games away until you make the roster. He just needs to get on with his job and accept his role. “We like his skill, talent, speed and physicality. He is growing up and will continue to learn. “If you are patient, your opportunity will come,” he said.
Your best shot would be to bring him on special teams as a punt and returner, but he also plays receiver. “One of the biggest things for me was finding the right position for me,” Rees-Zammit said. “Unfortunately it didn’t work against Chiefs and I ran back and I knew it wasn’t the best position for me. “Now that I’m here and the Jags have given me the opportunity to play receiver, I think that position is a better fit for me. It allows me to use my speed a lot more than I would as a runner.”Reese-Lightning ran the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds at the NFL Combine.
This inspires others to follow. Several England rugby players have tried to make the transition to the NFL, but with limited success. Christian Wade is a prime example, and Rees-Zammit is happy to share his advice. “I’ve had a lot of messages from players asking me how the journey has been and how the transition has been. “I think we’re going to see a lot of rugby players going to college in the US and then going on to courses like IPP or the NFL Academy. “I spoke to a few rugby players and asked for their advice. “I’m trying to be an inspiration to young kids and people who wanted to play in this league but didn’t have the means to do so.”
