Why Kansas City Chiefs are the perfect fit for Louis Rees-Zammit on and off the field

To describe the Kansas City Chiefs as the perfect landing spot for Louis Rees-Zammit is no overstatement. The former Wales wing will now be shadowing one of the great coaching minds in the National Football League in Andy Reid, and potentially playing alongside a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes who in six seasons as a starter has been to four Super Bowls, winning three.

The use of ‘potentially’ is deliberate, with Rees-Zammit needing to pull off a quite remarkable crash course in the NFL in order to make the final 53-man roster at the end of August. He unquestionably has the athletic ability to do so – the challenge is absorbing all of the concepts and routes and terminology that comes with playing at a level which thousands of college players fall short of reaching each year, having devoted themselves to the game their whole lives.

Such is the beauty of the NFL’s International Player Pathway, the 10-week programme Rees-Zammit quit rugby to participate in back in January before performing a number of drills in front of NFL scouts in Florida last week. Rees-Zammit visited with the Cleveland Browns, New York Jets and Denver Broncos before signing with the Chiefs.

He could not be joining Kansas City Chiefs at a more interesting time, not only because of their outstanding success under Reid and Mahomes but also the extra attention that now comes with every Chiefs game given Travis Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift. Kelce’s shirt sales went up by 400 per cent last season and interest in the team in the United States has arguably never been higher, which is saying something when you consider their success in 1970 winning Super Bowl IV under coach Hank Stram with quarterback Len Dawson.

Mahomes was already emerging as the face of NFL in the wake of Tom Brady’s retirement and has taken part in Netflix’s warmly-received ‘Quarterback’ series, while Kelce had previously hosted Saturday Night Live and appeared in numerous advertisements. But Swift’s presence at Arrowhead Stadium has taken attention on both the players and the team to a new level. For Rees-Zammit, who recently signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation Sports agency, there is an appealing commercial element to this move, joining the biggest team at a time when interest in the NFL has never been higher, with the Chiefs backed by one of the strongest fan bases in the league.

Realistically, however, all that truly matters for Rees-Zammit is what happens on the practice field over the next five months. That will determine whether he ends up making the final 53-man roster in his first year, truly an incredible achievement if it happens.

The most likely outcome could be Rees-Zammit ending up on the Chiefs’ practice squad, a reserve group of players who don’t make the final 53-man roster. Teams this season can have an additional 17th spot on the practice squad for an international player like Rees-Zammit. He could be called up to play in NFL games each week, but staying on the practice squad allows him to continue his development while staying attached to the organisation.

As he revealed in a recent interview with the Telegraph Rugby Podcast, Rees-Zammit was an NFL addict even before his move to the US, regularly staying up late on Sunday night in the UK like every other supporter to see games, including the Super Bowl.

There is a background of NFL knowledge there but learning the intricacies of the sport as an athlete is similar to mastering a new language and then writing a novel using it. Of course, if it all goes wrong, Rees-Zammit could be let go and end up returning to rugby. But the interest from multiple teams following the combine suggests that even if it fails to work out in Kansas City, others will be interested in the potential of a 23-year-old with Rees-Zammit’s athletic talent and hunger to make it in the NFL.

The Chiefs are an interesting fit for another reason – a lack of talent at the wide receiver position to catch passes from Mahomes. Reports in the United States suggest that Rees-Zammit will be used as both a receiver, running back and probably as a kick returner, given his acceleration and footwork.

Last year’s Super Bowl title was viewed as a superb achievement by Reid and Mahomes given the lack of weapons at receiver, aside from Rashee Rice, last year’s rookie second-round pick. No team by mid-November had dropped more passes than Kansas City’s 2.6 per game, with Kadarious Toney and Marquez Valdes-Scantling particularly at fault (although Valdez-Scantling did go on to redeem himself with a crucial catch in the AFC Championship Game, effectively the semi-final, against the Baltimore Ravens). Toney and Justin Ross were inactive for the Super Bowl, while Skyy Moore, a second-round draft pick in 2022, did not play.

Mahomes needs weapons having relied for years on Kelce, an excellent tight end who turns 35 next season, as his primary target, particularly since one of the game’s top receivers in Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins. Rice has shown potential, and Marquise Brown has been signed on a one-year deal worth $11 million (£8.7m). But the more options the better and in Rees-Zammit, Reid and the Chiefs clearly feel there is an intriguing athlete who might be able to stretch defences. Not forgetting Reid’s box of tricks either, putting running backs and wide receivers into unusual formations to catch out defences.

While Rees-Zammit would have been elated to sign for any NFL franchise, the Chiefs are on another level on the field and off it. Being around Reid and Mahomes and Kelce feels like Rees-Zammit has found a ‘golden ticket’, getting the chance to learn from the best of the best.

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