Plenty of pomp and circumstance accompanied Welsh rugby player Louis Rees-Zammit's entry to the NFL world.
It's not been an easy journey, however, as Rees-Zammit's yet to play in an NFL game since joining the Kansas City Chiefs in the spring of 2024 and later the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Thus, Rees-Zammit has imposed a deadline of sorts on his football aspirations before likely heading back to rugby.
"International players get probably two to three years to make it in the NFL," said the Jags' Rees-Zammit in a recent interview with talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Jacobs. "So, I wanted to do it at a time where I maybe could come back to rugby."
The 24-year-old Rees-Zammit previously represented Wales and won the Six Nations in 2021 and played for the British & Irish Lions. As the NFL's International Player Pathway led him to signing with the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit indicated he'd accomplished all he wanted in the world of rugby.
Now it would seem that's not the case.
"I'm 24 now, probably got one to two more years to try and make it depending on how this year goes," he said. "I'll be 25, 26 when I go back to rugby. I like to think I can still play at the highest level."
With Kansas City last year, Rees-Zammit saw action in three preseason games, hauling in one catch for three yards on a pair of targets. After he was cut, Rees-Zammit was picked up by Jacksonville.
He was signed to the team's practice squad and is currently a roster exemption due to his IPP status. It would seem that the summer ahead could be a make-or-break period for his NFL dreams.
With eyes on a rugby return, he's already mindful of how his newfound NFL acumen will transfer to the game he starred in.
"When I was playing rugby, I went to America twice to train and the things I learned there I knew straight away would help my game," he said. "Now, having two years of it, I think if I did have to go back I'll definitely be able to excel again."
For now, Rees-Zammit's still a Jaguar looking to carve out a roster spot, but it would seem his dalliance with the NFL is coming up close to its deadline.
