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Snubbed Louis Rees-Zammit to make shock switch to new NFL franchise - reports
By Philip Bendon
Less than twenty-four hours after being informed that he had not made it onto the Kansas City Chiefs 53-man roster, Louis Rees-Zammit appears to have found a new home in the NFL.
According to reports, the former Welsh international is close to finalising a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the AFC South division.
NFL insider Jordan Schultz broke the news after the Welshman removed his Chiefs profile picture and any reference to the team from his social media profiles, tweeting that the Running Back was already in talks with the Jaguars.
The Jaguars, who are owned by Fulham Football Club owner Shahid Khan, play two of their designated home games in London each year.
Following his cutting by the reigning Super Bowl champions on Tuesday, Rees-Zammit cleared through the NFL's waiver wire which allows teams to submit claims for qualifying players that have previously been cut by other teams.
By clearing through this process, the Welshman on account of coming through the IPP (International Player Pathway) is exempt from counting against a team's practice squad numbers.
Per the NFL Football Operations website, Rees-Zammit would qualify based on the following: "The NFL has specific roster rules for players that sign through the IPP. Each season, an NFL division is selected at random to participate in the IPP program. Designated teams are allowed an extra off-season roster spot for the IPP player assigned to that team.
"At the end of training camp, IPP players can either be signed to their assigned club’s 53-man roster or waived. Players who clear waivers may be signed to their assigned team’s practice squad using an IPP exemption that allows for an extra practice squad spot. IPP players signed to a practice squad using the exemption may not be signed to any team’s active roster that season; however, players signed to a practice squad without the exemption are treated in the same way as other practice squad players for roster purposes."
Initially signing a three-year contract with the Chiefs worth £2.24m after graduating through the International Pathway Programme, Rees-Zammit has seen the contract voided. Should he make it onto a practice squad, he would earn $225,000 (£170,000) per year.
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