Louis Rees-Zammit explains NFL switch timing and key rugby vs American football difference

The Wales international made headlines in 2024 when he stepped away from rugby union to pursue a career in American football.

He joined the NFL’s International Player Pathway Program before earning opportunities with the Kansas City Chiefs and later the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Despite his athletic potential, he did not make a regular season roster and eventually returned to rugby in 2025 after an 18-month spell in the United States.

He marked his league debut with a try against Leicester Tigers and has gradually worked his way back to top form.

Now, with Bristol pushing for a play-off place, the 25-year-old says he is finally rediscovering his rhythm.

"It's obviously tough when you're out for two years, to playing the sport again, there's probably a bit of that rusty phase.

"Just trying to keep up to speed with everything, now we're halfway through the season, I feel a lot more comfortable in the games I've played so I'm excited to see what I can do and what Bristol can do now we're getting back into the second half of the year."

His return from the NFL has brought a steep learning curve, particularly in adapting to a different style and pace of play.

"The speed of the game is a lot different in America so it's just something I wasn't used to for that period. I knew what it took, but it took some time to train through it, to get matches under your belt and then after a few games, you get that feel again.

"Now we're six months into the year, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable, a lot more sharp."

While his return has been encouraging, Rees-Zammit believes his best years are still ahead of him.

"Definitely, I'm only 25 so, I wouldn't say I've hit the prime of my career yet so I'm still learning off my teammates and coaches, trying to get better every day in training, whatever it takes to become one of the best players in the world, which is my goal that I'm going to continue to do everyday."

His decision to cross sports at such a young age was a calculated one, designed to leave the door open for a return.

"That was the plan, do it while I'm young so I can come back hopefully. If I did it later on in my career it would limit the options coming back and also gametime, getting up to speed with the game again. That was why I made the decision to do it at such a young age."

Attention now turns to Bristol’s “Big Day Out” fixture at the Principality Stadium, where a strong support is expected in Cardiff for their game against a struggling Harlequins side.

"Very excited. Boys are raring to go, we've had a good training week so we've just got to put on a good performance on Saturday, one that Bristol fans can be proud of because we know there's a lot of them travelling to the game."

Since returning, Rees-Zammit has been deployed primarily at fullback, having previously built his reputation as a winger at Gloucester. For now, he is content to remain flexible.

"I'll play wherever the coach plays me but both Pat and Steve said at the start of the season that they want me to play fullback so that's the plan for now, if something changes then it changes but I'll play wherever the coach wants to play me.

"It's very interchangeable these days, playing fullback and wing. In terms of long-term future, I'm happy for either."