Jacksonville Jaguars' WR Louis Rees-Zammit on NFL future
Current Jacksonville Jaguars' wide receiver, Louis Rees-Zammit, recently discussed his future in the NFL in an interview with talkSPORT's Hawksbee and Jacobs.
Rees-Zammit is embarking on his second NFL season. Before making the transition to the NFL, the Wales native was an accomplished rugby player.
During the 2024 offseason, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as part of the NFL's International Pathway Program (IPP). After being released during roster cutdowns last summer, he caught on with the Jaguars' practice squad, where he spent the remainder of the 2024 season.
"International players get probably two to three years to make it in the NFL," said Rees-Zammit, via NFL.com. "So, I wanted to do it at a time where I maybe could come back to rugby."
Rees-Zammit is currently the Jaguars' IPP designated player, which allows them to have 91 players on the offseason roster and carry 17 players on the practice squad in-season if he makes the team in that capacity and retains the IPP designation. If Rees-Zammit were to make the 53-man roster, he would no longer have the IPP designation.
However, how this upcoming season unfolds for Rees-Zammit will, from the sounds of it, strongly dictate whether he continues to pursue an NFL career or return to his rugby career.
"I'm 24 now, probably got one to two more years to try and make it depending on how this year goes," Rees-Zammit said. "I'll be 25, 26 when I go back to rugby. I like to think I can still play at the highest level."
At the receiver position for the Jaguars, we know that four roster spots are already accounted for with Brian Thomas Jr., Travis Hunter, Dyami Brown, and Parker Washington. At a position where typically five or six players are rostered, that leaves just one to two spots available.
Beyond those top four spots on the depth chart, there is a lot of inexperience at the receiver position for the Jaguars, which can lead to opportunities. However, with Rees-Zammit still relatively new to the game of football, he's navigating a steeper learning curve than the other wideouts vying for a roster spot.
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