"Life after Rugby" - Marcus Smith reveals desire to be a Kicker in the NFL

Whilst an NFL kicker does still wear the American football helmet and padding combination, the specialist player is not apart of the regular 'offense vs defense' plays throughout the duration of a match. The kicker does not score touch-downs or make clattering collisions, but is utilised for (as the name suggests) kicking off the match with a punt down-field, scoring field goals in 'special team' plays and gaining territory on the pitch.

On average, a kicker in the NFL can make $2 million a season. The lucrative contracts only go up from there, with the top specialists such as Harrison Butker (Kansas City Chiefs) and Jake Elliott (Philadelphia Eagles) reportedly bringing in an eye-watering salary of over $6 million.

Smith shared how he is in no rush to achieve this goal, with the Harlequin happy to approach the sport swap only once he had completed everything he has his sights set upon in rugby union. Smith revealed the intentions in an interview with TNT Sports, and you can watch the clip below.

Marcus Smith is by no means the first rugby star with the ambition of breaking into the NFL. Fans can look no further than former England wing Christian Wade's efforts at the Buffalo Bills, or most recently Louis Rees-Zammit's expedition 'across the pond'. Both Wade and Rees-Zammit gave-up on their American dreams, an indicator as to how tough it is for even the most elite level Test match stars to break into the land of stars and stripes.

Rees-Zammit endeavoured upon the sporting switch through the NFL's International Player Pathway Program, with the goal of being a wide reciever or running back. However, the Welshman was unable to make a match day squad appearance despite stints with Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars.

LRZ returned to rugby ahead of the 2025/26 PREM season, as he signed for his former Gloucester rivals of Bristol Bears. Rees-Zammit returned to Test rugby from the bench for Wales' Autumn Series defeat to Argentina, with the British & Irish Lion named to start the upcoming fixture against Japan on the wing.