Louis Rees-Zammit has joined the Kansas City Chiefs – and his new teammate Travis Kelce has warned the former rugby union star that it will be a “humbling” experience
Travis Kelce has issued a reality check to former rugby sensation Louis Rees-Zammit ahead of his debut NFL season.
The former Wales winger, who rapidly rose to fame as one of the most promising young talents in rugby union, shocked fans when he announced his departure for an NFL opportunity in the US in January. He then signed for Kelce’s team, the Kansas City Chiefs.
Speaking on his podcast New Heights, Kelce warned that Rees-Zammit’s first NFL season would be a “humbling” experience. “It’s going to be a humbling experience at first,” he said. “It’s not easy to just make that jump, they’re two completely different games.
“He is an athlete and that’s what the Chiefs saw. He’s a smart kid, a smart player. So he’s gonna be able to pick up the offense eventually. “But it’s gonna be a tough few months for him here while he’s getting acclimated to the NFL.
“We’ve been doing this since we were kids, so we’re gonna have those little instincts that we’ve built over the years that he’s got to catch up with.”
Before joining the Chiefs, Rees-Zammit notched up an impressive 38 tries in 69 appearances for Gloucester and earned his stripes with the Wales national team. He also toured South Africa with the British & Irish Lions in 2021.
His standout speed, clocking a rapid 4.49 seconds in the 40-yard dash at March’s international combine a time that would have placed him fifth among running backs at this year’s NFL draft has caught the eye of American football scouts.
Kelce wants Rees-Zammit to become a star with the Chiefs and offered some words of wisdom to the Welsh winger. He added: “The biggest advice I gave him was just try not to let it overwhelm you as much as it can, and know that everybody believes that you have the potential to be able to play. So absorb as much as you can, learn as much as you can in the short time you have before the season.”
Without even playing a game, Rees-Zammit’s move has already proved lucrative. He’s seen his annual earnings leap from £225,000 at Gloucester to a whopping $900,000 after penning a three-year deal with the Chiefs.
Rees-Zammit took the lucrative chance and moved to Texas at the earliest to train with Chiefs’ star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Andy Reid, the legendary coach of Kansas City, has already started visualising a role for his speedy British recruit.
“He was introduced to this when he was young when his dad played for six years in the European league,” Reid explained about Rees-Zammit, who also revealed his adoration for NFL legend DeSean Jackson as a kid. “He’s somewhat familiar with the sport and has had success in rugby. And there are some similarities there as a contact sport, and he’s had the ball and does those things and runs with the ball. We’ll start him off at the running back position and get him to feel comfortable with that.”
News
ESPN announces Jason Kelce’s hiring. He will be part of the ‘Monday Night Football’ pregame show
NEW YORK (AP) – Jason Kelce is officially a member of ESPN´s “Monday Night Countdown” team. ESPN announced Kelce had signed a multiyear agreement on Tuesday during a presentation to advertisers in New York. He will also be a part…
In the Monday Night Football pregame, ESPN officially adds Jason Kelce, replacing Robert Griffin III
Jason Kelce is officially going to be a part of football fans’ Monday nights this fall. ESPN officially announced the signing of the recently retired Eagles center Tuesday to a multiyear contract to serve as an NFL analyst for the network’s “Monday…
Jason Kelce Tells Disney Forthright Group That He Is So delighted to Join “Monday Night Cracking Football!
Jason Kelce, who retired earlier this year after 13 years with the NFL‘s Philadelphia Eagles, told the crowd at Disney‘s upfront how pumped he is to be joining “Monday Night Freakin’ Football!” While he kept his shirt on (unlike last January, when…
Jason Kelce Confirms Major Career Move That Will Have Football Fans Rejoicing
Jason Kelce officially confirmed he will join ESPN for its “Monday Night Countdown” pregame show during the 2024 NFL season. The big news was announced at the Disney Advertising Upfront in New York City on Tuesday, May 14. As Kelce…
Fаme’ѕ Hіdden Toll: Jаѕon Kelсe’ѕ Revelаtіonѕ Shаke the Celebrіty World
Jаѕon Kelсe іѕ one of the moѕt beloved аthleteѕ іn Phіlаdelрhіа ѕрortѕ hіѕtory. Aѕ the longtіme сenter for the Eаgleѕ, he hаѕ аnсhored the offenѕіve lіne аnd helрed leаd the teаm to theіr fіrѕt Suрer Bowl vісtory іn 2017. But…
Video Jason Kelce hilariously gatecrashes an NFL meeting, trolling commissioner Roger Goodell over the schedule release.
Jason Kelce hilariously gatecrashed an NFL meeting to Commissioner Roger Goodell’s delight. In a video posted by the New Heights X account, Kelce walked in unannounced as Goodell held a meeting in what appears to be the NFL headquarters in New York…
End of content
No more pages to load