Rugby Star Louis Rees-Zammit Says He Was 'Wasting' His Talent During NFL Stint

Former NFL wide receiver Louis Rees-Zammit is back to his true calling as a rugby star, and he wishes he had never wasted his time in football.

Rees-Zammit, who now plays winger for the Bristol Bears in PREM Rugby, told Joe Harston of the Times that it was an easy decision for him to return to his original sport after struggling in his brief time in the NFL.

"I just felt like I was kind of wasting my talent out there," Rees-Zammit said (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). "It’s very difficult to get into the NFL if you haven’t gone through the college system. You just don’t get the same opportunities as those boys. I was getting minimal reps, and it was just something that I was fed up with when I was practicing there."

After training in the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, Rees-Zammit signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back and return specialist prior to the 2024 season, but he didn't make the final 53-man roster. He later joined the Jacksonville Jaguars' practice squad as a wide receiver, and after becoming a free agent this offseason, they re-signed him in February. However, the Welsh speedster decided to call it quits on his football career at the end of July.

Rees-Zammit pointed to the cutthroat nature of NFL training camps, where players on the roster bubble can be let go at any time.

"It was absolutely brutal," he said. "I was seeing new players every day, players cut every day. It was pretty tough, and I knew that going out there."

Rees-Zammit will now focus on preparing for the upcoming season with the Bears, who open the year with a fixture against the Sale Sharks on Sept. 13.