International rugby star Louis Rees-Zammit first entered the NFL with a ton of hype, especially once the perennial Super Bowl contender Kansas City Chiefs signed him following a public tryout for all 32 teams.
Unfortunately, the former KC fan favorite will exit the league with far less attention. The Jacksonville Jaguars waived Rees-Zammit on August 1, according to ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, but it seems the rugby star requested the roster cut.
On July 31, Rees-Zammit posted the following announcement on his Instagram page:
I’ve got an exciting announcement to make! I’ve decided to leave the NFL and return to rugby!
It’s been a great experience but it’s time to come home. I’ve decided that this is the best time to make this decision to give myself time to get everything in place for next season.
There’s only one thing that’s on my mind, that’s coming back to rugby and doing what I do best. I can’t explain how excited I am!!
There’ll be more news to come soon but for now, see you soon rugby fans 🏴 ⚡️
Louis Rees-Zammit Calls It Quits After Failing to Make an Impact With Chiefs & Jaguars
Rees-Zammit appears to have grown tired of waiting around for a real impact opportunity on NFL practice squads. But this entire situation just goes to show that being an elite-level player at one sport doesn’t necessarily mean your talent will transfer over to another.
The international rugby star came to the Chiefs with a ton of confidence, but it became very apparent very quickly that he was nothing more than a practice squad-type talent in the NFL world.
Rees-Zammit had a lot of speed, as his nickname suggested, but picking up the intricacies of American football proved more difficult than expected. Whether that was learning a playbook or running crisp routes and catching passes from an NFL quarterback.
In the end, Rees-Zammit’s NFL career ends with zero regular season appearances and three exciting preseason outings in KC.
The Chiefs utilized the rugby star in several different ways during his lone summer with the team. Rees-Zammit finished the 2024 preseason with 6 rushes for 22 yards, 1 reception for 3 yards, 2 kickoff returns for 63 yards, 4 kickoffs (as the kicker) for 248 yards and 1 touchback, and 1 tackle.
Well, this one was fun while it lasted!
Chiefs Training Camp Buzz Highlights New UDFA WR
There have been different undrafted standouts throughout Chiefs OTAs and training camp this year, but a new one has begun emerging over the past few days.
“The wide receiver room might seem stacked in Kansas City, but as Chiefs fans are well aware, the injury bug can be brutal between now and the first week of the 2025 NFL season,” wrote A-to-Z Sports Kansas City’s Charles Goldman on July 31.
“With three receivers (Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, and Skyy Moore) missing from the latest practice, opportunities have opened up for newer faces in St. Joe,” the reporter continued. “Jason Brownlee notably worked with the first team in practice on Tuesday. That led to UDFA WR Jimmy Holiday getting some opportunities to stand out with the second-team offense.”
According to Goldman and A-to-Z Sports colleague Nick Roesch, Holiday has impressed in recent practices.
“Holiday became the first UDFA wide receiver this camp to work with the first team and earn a target from Patrick Mahomes during Wednesday’s 10-10-10 practice,” Goldman noted.
While Roesch explained: “Despite Brownlee getting an opportunity with the starters, it was actually rookie Jimmy Holiday who impressed with the second-team offense. Holiday made several catches on the day, including a touchdown from backup quarterback Gardner Minshew.”
Roesch also added that “Holiday is a versatile WR who possesses 4.4 40-yard dash speed, so it’s easy to see why the Chiefs are interested in him.”
