Louis Rees-Zammit may not have earned a spot on the Kansas City Chiefs’ regular-season roster, but his NFL dream is far from over.
On Tuesday, the 23-year-old was waived by the back-to-back Super Bowl champions, as they cut their season roster down to 53 players.
It is a move that should not come as a huge surprise, as to date no wide receivers or running backs have ever made a regular-season roster after coming through the International Player Pathway (IPP).
The Chiefs’ roster is also among the most competitive in the entire NFL, with the franchise looking to become the first in the league’s history to win three straight Super Bowls.
Despite the setback, Rees-Zammit will still have the chance to impress going forward, whether that be with the Chiefs or another NFL franchise.
While his team may temporarily unknown, the former Wales wing is unlikely to be returning to rugby union any time soon.
Rees-Zammit an outside waiver option
Despite initially signing a three-year contract with the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit’s talents are currently up for grabs.
Players who have played fewer than four seasons in the NFL are subject to waiver claims if cut from regular-season rosters.
Any of the 32 NFL franchises can put in waiver claims for players – including Rees-Zammit – but those signed must be for regular-season rosters.
That makes the likelihood of Rees-Zammit receiving a waiver claim significantly less likely.
Rees-Zammit does bring with him a new audience of rugby fans, but his lack of experience and understanding of another franchise’s playbook would outweigh any upside of claiming him.
If multiple teams were to make a claim on the former rugby international, Rees-Zammit would land at the team who had the worst record in the NFL in 2023.
The Carolina Panthers have the highest priority after their 2-15 season in 2023, while the Chiefs have the lowest priority as reigning Super Bowl champions.
The deadline for teams to put waiver claims on players is at 17:00 BST on Wednesday, 28 August.
Will Chiefs’ practice squad make perfect?
If no teams claim Rees-Zammit, he will likely return to Kansas City as part of the Chiefs’ practice squad.
NFL franchises are allowed practice squads of 16 players, but in 2024 they are granted an additional spot to use on those who have come through the IPP.
The new rule changes in 2024 will also allow the Chiefs to promote Rees-Zammit to the active roster up to three times during the season, without taking up a space for a game.
As part of the practice squad, Rees-Zammit would continue to develop his skills, and be on hand to step up to the 53-man roster should injuries occur.
His best chance of seeing any meaningful game time in 2023 would be if the first-choice kick returners for the Chiefs are ruled out with injuries.
Rookie speedster Xavier Worthy and veteran Mercole Hardman are those with a tight grip on the role going into the start of the 2024 season.
No rush to return to rugby
Whether on a new team or on the Chiefs’ practice squad, Rees-Zammit will be part of an NFL franchise in 2024.
Even if Rees-Zammit does not make a 53-man roster, he would earn a considerable amount of money by signing for an NFL team.
Last season, players on a practice squad had a yearly salary of £170,700 – just under £10,000 for each of the 18 weeks of the regular season.
That figure goes up if players have multiple years of experience, and increases significantly if they can secure a spot in a franchise’s 53-man roster.
In 2023, the minimum salary for first-year players was close to £600,000.
Even the salary of a practice squad player exceeds what most rugby players in the English Premiership would earn, although the leading players can also factor in additional payments from playing international rugby.
A report from 2022 showed the average salary in the English Premiership during the 2020-21 season was a little under £144,000 a year, and due to salary caps that figure will not have drastically increased since.
Premiership clubs unanimously agreed to cut the salary cap to £5m in the summer of 2020 in response to the financial fallout of the coronavirus pandemic, but it is set to return to £6.4m next season.
What happens beyond this season Rees-Zammit remains to be seen, but next summer could prove to be a similar story to 2023.
Even if he sees no regular-season action this campaign, he will likely get more chances to impress at next year’s training camp and pre-season games.
Away from the field, Rees-Zammit and his brother – who has also moved to the United States – are looking to expand their sports drink business
So as things stand, the former Wales and Gloucester man appears settled on the other side of the Atlantic.
There may be a return to rugby in the future, but not right now.
