Wales star Louis Rees-Zammit quits rugby immediately to join NFL

Gloucester have announced that Wales and British & Irish Lions winger Louis Rees-Zammit has been released from his contract immediately to join the NFL International Player Pathway (IPP).

The 32-cap Wales international is set to follow in the footsteps of Christian Wade, Christian Scotland-Williamson and Alex Gray in joining the IPP from the Gallagher Premiership.

With the current NFL season drawing to a close, he revealed in a statement on social media that he hopes to earn a spot on an NFL roster for 2024.

Rees-Zammit will fly out to Florida on Friday ahead of a ten-week intensive training camp, whereby he will find out at the end whether he is wanted by a team or not.

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— Louis Rees-Zammit ⚡️ (@LouisReesZammit) January 16, 2024

The Welshman showcased what a world class talent he is on Saturday with a scorching solo try against Edinburgh in the Challenge Cup, in what has turned out to be his last appearance in rugby. His last outing for his country, meanwhile, was Wales’ Rugby World Cup quarter-final defeat to Argentina in October.

The announcement has come just before Warren Gatland was expected to name the 22-year-old in his Guinness Six Nations squad.

In a statement shared by Gloucester, Rees-Zammit said: “Gloucester Rugby has been a huge part of my life. From the start at Hartpury College and my first professional rugby contract with Gloucester in 2020, to my Wales and Lions caps; the Club has been central to my development as a player, and I’m so grateful for their support.

“I will always be very proud of my time at Kingsholm and want to particularly thank the incredible fans who make the Club so special. Also, to my teammates, to George Skivington and Alex Brown, thank you for giving me such special memories and for supporting this next stage of my career.

“I have had the incredible honour of playing rugby for my country which, as a proud Welshman, I’ve never taken for granted. However, I believe that this is the right time for me to realise another professional goal of playing American football in the US. Those opportunities don’t come around very often.”

Gloucester Chief Executive Officer Alex Brown said: “We understand the size of the opportunity before Zam and his lifelong ambition to play in the NFL.

“Whilst we are naturally sad to see him leave, ultimately, we are not able to dissuade him from taking an opportunity of this magnitude with the NFL.

“We remain very proud of the role Gloucester Rugby has played in helping to develop him into the world class player he has become, and we wish him the very best in the US. He will always be welcome at Kingsholm.”